House of Cards
by NekoRyuuKo
Summary: Cardverse AU. A new decree stated that all people with the mark of an Ace or Jack would be killed. 4 Aces, 4 Jacks, 2 groups, 1 purpose. From dragons, magic, exploding arrows, enchanted swords, to that annoying Joker, these 8 kids fight for their lives and for the lives of others. But who would trust some teenagers with the fate of the kingdoms?
1. Start of the Game

**A.N.** Hi people! This is my second fanfic! Woohoo! I've had this idea for a while but never got around to writing it until now. I really do appreciate constructive criticism and just reviews in general. If there are any questions about this just PM me or comment and I'll try and clear up and confusion! Now with all that, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia!**

Four kingdoms. Thirteen ranks. Everyone born into a country would receive that country's mark and a rank somewhere on his or her person. What many people had seen through the years was that people with a higher rank had a higher potential for magic. However, this rule seemed to skip the King and Queen marks, as there hadn't been someone with one of those markings and magic abilities for quite a while.

Yao remembered this as Spade soldiers dragged people bearing the marks of Jacks and Aces out of their homes to be killed. Yao shook in fear, his mind spinning. He didn't understand this. The four kingdoms had declared Aces and Jacks of any kingdom a threat and that they would be exterminated for the 'greater good'. Yao's hand grabbed at his left shoulder that had the Jack of Spades mark dooming him to death. Glancing up, Yao's siblings had gathered at the windows while his father harshly grabbed Yao by the arm.

"Father wha-"

"Run, Yao. Get out of here before they find you." Yao saw the fear and desperation in his father's eyes, and he nodded weakly. The family had lost their mother and wife to an illness a couple of years ago, and Yao's father didn't wish to see another member of his family die. Turning, Yao glimpsed his brothers and sister staring at him, confusion and fear set in their faces. Biting his lip, Yao spun and took to the backdoor of their small house.

Rain pelted Yao as he burst from the house, his legs carrying him from the village he had grown up in. Sounds of soldiers scared Yao into running with more determination. Rain fell harder as he ran faster. His life was on the line. He wouldn't die here. The boy breathed in and out, eyes squinted so as to see through the rain, lungs burning with each breath he took.

-LINEBREAK-

Vash didn't speak as he dodged through the trees of the woods. He lived near the border between Diamonds and Hearts, making his route for escape easy to find. The blond panted as he slowed down to a quick walk, his pack bouncing against his back rhythmically. He bit his tongue. He had left his sister with their parents – the same parents who had tried to turn him in for being a Diamond Jack. Vash knew Lillian could take care of herself, but he wondered if his parents would try to use his sister's Queen mark to their benefit. The blond kept walking; he had been running for two days since he had found the letters from his parents to the commanding officer in the area in charge of the purging. Vash smirked, 'The Purge' sounded about right. The Kings and Queens in charge of the four kingdoms had killed the Aces and Jacks who held partial control without a second thought before ruling that the rest of the Jacks and Aces should be exterminated too. Vash pushed through some bushes and settled under a tree for a quick rest, wondering if he was now only one in a handful of Jacks.

-LINEBREAK-

Lovino muttered a curse under his breath as his brother clung to his arm. The two brothers had fled their home in Hearts only a few hours before. Lovino hoped they could make it somewhere safe before they both collapsed from exhaustion. Feliciano was three years younger than Lovino and clung to his brother's hand for dear life. Lovino felt anger bubble up in him yet again. Why did those damn higher-ups want them dead? There were kids younger than Feli bearing Ace and Jack marks. The Ace mark on Lovino's left hand burned as he thought about the stupidity of it all when Feli spoke, asking to sit down for a break.

"Only for a few minutes." Lovino replied, praying that nobody was following them. After their break, the two brothers started off again, all the while Feli asking Lovino what all this was about, trying to understand his brother's anger.

"A bunch of asses want us dead 'cause we have Jack and Ace marks."

"But we didn't do anything to them! We didn't hurt them or anything!" Feliciano exclaimed and Lovino clapped a hand over the younger boy's mouth.

"Shh! I don't know if anyone's following us, and we don't wanna draw attention to ourselves." Feli nodded at Lovino and they kept walking. The words Feli had said echoed through Lovino's mind. They didn't do anything. They didn't do anything.

-LINEBREAK-

"Hurry Matthew. I won't let them hurt you. I'll fix everything." Matthew remembered his brother saying as he had been pushed from their home. The violet-eyed boy had a bag shoved at him by his brother Alfred and he was told to leave, to run, to survive. Matthew sighed and rubbed his forearm where his Ace mark stood out against his skin. Ironic how Alfred and Matthew were twins but only one of them was wanted dead. Alfred was a King of Spades, giving him a chance at becoming the next ruler of Spades whereas Matthew would be lucky if he lived another week. The boy tugged at his jacket as he wandered through the woods. It had been raining the night before and the ground squelched underneath his feet with each step Matthew took. A rustling behind him made Matthew freeze. Had he been found already? Were they going to kill him now? What could he fight back with?

Turning, the blond calmed, seeing it was only a rabbit. Matthew blinked realizing his last thought. Fight back. He wasn't the fighter of the family – Alfred was – but now Matthew realized how if that bunny was someone he could've died. Died. The word resounded in the pale boy's mind when someone burst through the trees and fell to the ground panting not having noticed Matthew. The boy looked no older than Matthew was, his dark hair hung in his face and he coughed. The kid looked up and fear shot through Matthew before he noticed the same fear in the kid's eyes. Slowly Matthew spoke pushing his sleeve up for the other to see.

"Are you a Jack or Ace?"

"Yes."

 **A.N.** I know I know, it starts up slowly but it'll pick up soon enough! I really appreciate reviews and ideas on where I can improve. Other characters will appear in the next chapter and chapters to come! Until next time! - Neko


	2. Shuffling the Deck

**A.N.** Hello again! First of all if anyone is still reading this, thank you! I know the summary is pretty bad but whatever! Thanks to **Naya, Reader, Silver Tarot, Viofan238, It's-effing-fusha, Poisonlilie,** and **Patient Harmony** for being the first reviewers! Just to be clear I have no pairings planned for this story. *And now some shameless self-advertising* I do have a fluffy romance fanfic called 'Soulmates of Hetalia' so check that out! *End of shameless self-advertising* And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Hetalia!**

Yao sat uncomfortably on a log across from the blond stranger. The two hadn't spoken much since they had encountered each other, but that didn't matter.

"What's your name?" Yao finally asked and the blond looked up panicked.

"Oh, uh, Alfred." A lie. Yao could tell when someone was lying. In the case of this kid, he didn't seem confident in what he claimed his name to be and it didn't roll off his tongue easily enough.

"So what's your name?" 'Alfred' asked and Yao blinked trying to think of what to say when he spoke, "Uh Kiku."

The blond smiled and shook his head. "We're both really bad liars aren't we?"

Yao nodded and held his hand out to the blond to shake saying, "My name is really Yao."

"I'm Matthew." The blond said shaking Yao's hand before relaxing. Matthew coughed into his arm and started to talk. "So you're on the run too, right? I didn't think I'd meet another person out here."

"Neither did I." Yao said biting his lip. Matthew fidgeted and pulled a small bag from his pack and offered it to Yao. "They're crackers. You want some?"

Yao shook his head. "I don't want to use your supplies." Matthew nodded and sat back before looking Yao in the eyes.

"I know I just met you and you probably don't trust me," Yao nodded recalling how Matthew had tried to lie about his name "but I want to live. And I'm sure you do too." Yao raised an eyebrow. "What're you getting at?" the brunette asked, a small feeling of hope rising in him.

Matthew replied, "Can we travel together? We'd have a better chance at survival with two of us."

Matthew seemed dependable, a bit shy and obviously not physically strong, but he looked like someone who wouldn't betray a comrade. Yao ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "If you don't mind I'd like to stay alive, and having a travel companion seems like the wise decision."

The two sighed and Yao grabbed a stick and started drawing a map of the kingdoms in the dirt.

"My village was here." Yao said marking a spot and Matthew nodded while pointing to an area slightly closer to the border saying, "That's where mine was. I would hazard a guess that we're somewhere around here." Matthew circled a spot just a bit further south. Yao sat up and sighed.

"We'll have to get through Diamonds. I heard from some soldiers that they're paying people to turn in Jacks and Aces."

Matthew nodded again and stood up after wiping their dirt map away with his hand. The two started walking and Yao thought of what they should do as they walked: obtain weapons, hunt for food, and maybe look for other survivors. The brunette relayed his thoughts to his blond companion who nodded. "I think that's a good start."

Yao smiled as he thought to himself that Matthew didn't talk much. He was comforted by this fact, after all, he didn't talk much either as he was a "thinker" and was worried conversation might distract him or give away their presence.

-LINEBREAK-

Vash hadn't thought of what to do in this kind of situation. The blond had stumbled into someone about 15 minutes before, panicked and ran. The person following him was just barely taller than Vash and obviously knew about the Diamonds kingdom paying for Jacks and Aces, as he was armed to fight and kill. Vash crashed through trees and panting he was trying to lose the hunter but was so far failing.

An idea burst in Vash's mind. Dropping his things, he grabbed a rock and started climbing up a tree, trying to be quiet, when the man hunting him came into view. Vash hoped the leaves hid him well enough as the hunter had a sick grin of his face and was obviously ready for a fight. A one sided fight.

The man had notched an arrow, ready to shoot at any sign of movement. Vash felt his heart speed up as the man almost silently made his way through the trees to where Vash had left his pack. The man bent down, lowering his guard, and Vash acted. Jumping down from the tree, Vash slammed the rock in his hands into the back of the man's head near the neck.

A sickening crush came from the area of the hunter's head and Vash fell backwards onto the ground while the man flopped forwards. Vash blinked and his hands started shaking. Did he just…kill someone? Vash nudged the man's leg with his foot and felt cold when there was no response.

Vash crawled over to the hunter and grabbed his hand, checking for a pulse. Nothing. Vash felt bile rise in his throat and he fought not to vomit. His chest tightened and it felt hard to breathe. He had just killed someone. True that person had been trying to kill him, but that didn't excuse what Vash had done.

"I'm sorry." Vash whispered, still fighting back the urge to puke as his vision clouded and became fuzzy. Hands shaking, Vash took what he could off the hunter. The man had owned a bow and a quiver of arrows, a dagger, food, some cash, and clothes. Vash slung the bow and quiver over his shoulder while he strapped the dagger to his hip. Although the clothes were a bit bigger than the blond, he took them just in case.

Vash felt overwhelming guilt surge through him. He had just killed someone and took their possessions. What kind of person was he? Could he have done something different so the man lived? Vash inhaled trying to calm himself, but failed. The blond kept walking through the trees a new fear resting on Vash's mind. Would he have to kill someone again?

Vash stopped resisting and allowed himself to hurl into some bushes. Standing back up Vash realized just how alone he was.

 **A.N.** So that's that! In summary: Yao and Matthew are heading to the Diamonds and Spades border in hopes of finding other survivors and supplies, while Vash is feeling extreme guilt and remorse over killing someone who was hunting him. As always I appreciate reviews and can't wait to see what you guys think! Until next time! - Ryuu


	3. Dealing the Cards

**A.N.** Hello again! I have returned! I'm going to try and get some momentum in this chapter so I can get this story MOVING! Quick shout out to my little brother who turned 12! And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever in my puny mortal life own Hetalia!**

Lovino cursed under his breath as Feli kept talking. The older boy had lost track of how long they had been walking but knew that the two were somewhere near the Hearts and Diamonds border. Feliciano chattered animatedly about nothing in particular and Lovino had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping at the 12-year-old.

Lovino was tired, having stayed up each night to keep watch while Feli slept in case someone stumbled upon them. The older brother was irritable on a good day, but being sleep deprived, hungry, and constantly on guard made things worse. Grumbling, Lovino muttered to Feli, "I wish you weren't a Jack."

The younger brother's head snapped up, his eyes filled with confusion.

"What does that mean?" Feli asked simply and Lovino felt all the hatred he felt for their situation rise as he snapped, "It means that if you weren't a Jack things would be easier to deal with! I wouldn't have to drag your hide through all hell and creation! I wouldn't have to listen to your annoying talking almost all the time, and I wouldn't have to worry about you!"

Feliciano shrank back some and mumbled an apology which Lovino ignored. He didn't mean all that, all he meant was that if Feliciano weren't a Jack the younger brother wouldn't be in this predicament. Sighing, Lovino pushed forward and Feli followed, albeit much quieter than before.

The two brothers went on for a while and stopped for the night. Lovino was about to apologize to Feli for snapping at him earlier when a crunching noise approached them. Bolting upright Lovino shoved Feliciano behind himself and glared at the approaching figure.

"Well, it seems I'm not the only one still alive." The boy said somewhat snottily. He stood, arms crossed, a look of superiority plastered on his face as he asked Lovino, "Aren't you going to let me join you?"

Lovino didn't stop glaring at the brunette but moved aside, letting him into the brother's small camp. The stranger was a bit taller than Lovino with dark brown hair styled back and purple eyes. In addition, he had eyeglasses. _'Must be a noble'_ Lovino thought, looking the boy up and down.

"My name is Roderich. Thank you for letting me join you." Roderich said bluntly, showing the two his Jack mark and sat down next to Feli. Lovino didn't trust this guy too much, even if he was a Jack, and simply nodded muttering, "I'm Lovino, he's Feliciano."

Roderich nodded looking both brothers over and settled on talking with Feli about random topics. Lovino rolled his eyes at the two as they conversed about the stupidest things while he threw some provisions to Feliciano and Roderich. "Hurry up Feli. I want you asleep soon."

Feli quieted and nodded while Roderich cleared his throat. "Do you two have a watch system? If not I would be more than happy to take the first watch."

"Yeah, no thanks. I can do it on my own without your help." Lovino said harshly when Feli joined the conversation. "Big brother doesn't warm up to new people very well, but I like you! I'm sure Lovi will be happy to let you take watch!" Feli announced, and Roderich smiled while Lovino grumbled.

The Ace ignored the two Jacks for the rest of the time they were eating. Night fell and Feli had fallen asleep. Roderich had stayed sitting and motioned for Lovino to lie down.

"I am true to my word. I will keep watch," Roderich said, and Lovino grumbled.

"What exactly is your word worth?" Lovino asked.

Roderich pushed his glasses up. "My word is worth my life. I have sworn to survive no matter the cost. If I say that I will keep watch for a few hours I will stay true to my word."

Lovino wanted to protest but the idea of a few hours of sleep sounded amazing. Laying down Lovino let himself relax for the first time in a few days. Sleep overtook the Ace in a matter of seconds.

-LINEBREAK-

Matthew walked slightly behind Yao, who had been quietly thinking. Matthew bit his lip as they walked trying to come up with a way to contribute. Matthew himself didn't have any talents or anything he was particularly good at. The only thing he hoped he could be talented at was magic and he had no idea how to use it.

In frustration, Matthew kicked a rock before turning to Yao and asking, "Do you know how to use magic?"

The brunette shook his head saying, "I never learned it. I know there are types of magic like illusion and such but I don't know exactly how to use it."

Matthew nodded and kept walking and thinking. Matthew knew a bit more than Yao did in terms of magic types but that was all.

Sighing the blond forgot to look up and he bumped into Yao who had stopped. "What's goin on?" Matthew asked and Yao held a hand up to quiet him.

"People. They're coming hurry!" Yao said pushing Matthew to a tree and started climbing. In the tree, Matthew saw that there were in fact people, three of them, armed with knives and bows. The three talked to each other openly loud enough for Matthew and Yao to hear them.

"This is too easy. Hunt Jacks and Aces and bring 'em in for cash?" one with a scar across his eyes asked and another laughed. "Yeah! Dead or alive! Either way we get some easy money."

The three kept walking and talking while Matthew bit his thumbnail in thought when Yao tapped his shoulder and pointed down whispering, "I have an idea."

Matthew grinned. "Me too."

 **A.N.** I'm having too much fun writing this. Please review! Tell me what you think about the chapter! Until next time! - Retso


	4. First Move

**A.N.** Hello again! I'm having a hard time not spoiling the story for my friends and family. I'm debating whether or not I should write a companion story or a sequel talking about what the Kings and Queens (Arthur, Alfred, Francis, Ivan…etc.) are doing, so let me know what you think! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and, as always, I appreciate reviews. And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Yao led Matthew through the trees as they followed the trio of hunters. The trio seemed rather unorganized and didn't seem to care about how loud they were being, making it easy for Yao to come up with a plan of attack. Matthew's idea had been to wait until the trio was asleep and then raid their camp. The brunette bit his lip in thought. The concept of Matthew's idea was fantastic, but there was no telling how long the trio would be walking, or if they had a watch system.

Yao looked up at Matthew who had tapped his arm trying to get the Jack's attention. Pointing towards the trio, Matthew made a motion for Yao to listen. The trio had become much quieter and Yao had to strain his ears to hear what they were saying.

"-ey suck at covering their presence."

"I think there's only two."

"Let's get 'em 'fore they run."

Yao's eyes widened. The trio had known they were being followed. Yao thought fast. He and Matthew had no weapons, no strategy, no way to fight back, and no escape. Matthew grabbed Yao's arm and pulled the brunette away from the now approaching hunters.

The three hunters crashed through the trees, grins wide on their scarred faces. Yao shook Matthew off and the two broke into a run. Matthew was faster than Yao thought and weaved between trees with ease, leaving Yao a good bit behind the blond. Yao ducked behind a tree and panted, hearing the hunters approaching rapidly. Yao glanced around. He needed something, anything, to disarm them.

 _Think Yao think! Don't let them catch you._ Yao thought, and an idea formed in the teens mind. It was risky, very risky, if it failed not only would Yao but possibly Matthew would get caught.

"Matthew! Get in the trees!" Yao yelled, hoping Matthew could understand what he wanted. Yao moved from behind the tree into a small clearing where the trio crashed in daggers drawn. Yao glanced around, fear overtaking him when a rock flew from a tree and knocked the dagger from the man's hand. Another two stones came and disarmed the men, leaving them scrambling to retrieve their blades.

Yao jumped forward, slamming his fist into the first man's nose, and spun kicking the next hunter in the stomach. Blood poured from the taller man's nose and the other clutched his gut, a groan escaping him. The third man charged at Yao, who quickly brought his elbow up in the man's face. Blood streamed from the man's nose and Yao moved behind the hunter and locked his arms around his neck.

"Make another move and he's dead." Yao said, adrenaline still running through him.

The first two men looked at each other and at their comrade who was close to crying in Yao's grip. The taller man who Yao had kicked in the gut raised his hands, the man with the bleeding nose followed suit.

Matthew dropped from a tree and walked over to the two men who stood stiffly.

"Drop your packs." Yao said, firmly tightening his grip on the third man when they hesitated. The two shrugged off their bags, and Matthew set to rummaging around in them, setting aside what was important. Standing, Matthew tossed a pack at Yao's feet and the brunette released the man he had been holding.

Matthew had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his right shoulder while his pack rested on his left. Yao grabbed one of the sword-like daggers from the ground and strapped it to his waist, turning to walk away.

The three men didn't move from the clearing, still in shock that they had been beaten by two kids.

As they walked, Yao turned to Matthew and asked, "How did you know what I meant back there?"

Matthew shrugged, replying, "I'm not sure. I heard someone tell me to throw rocks to disarm them, but I might've imagined that. Either way, you were awesome back there! How did you know to do that?"

Yao smiled wistfully. "My brothers and I used to get into major fights. I learned how to block them and deal them some nice blows when they challenged me."

The two walked quietly for a while until they were sure of one thing. They had made it into the kingdom of Diamonds.

-LINEBREAK-

Vash drew the bowstring back again and aimed before letting the arrow fly. It hit the tree with a sound 'thunk', and Vash nodded in approval. The blond had started practicing archery with the hunter's bow and wasn't bad at it. Eight times out of ten Vash could hit what he was aiming at. The blond rubbed his right arm where the bowstring had nicked him when he had released the arrow.

Vash started pulling the arrows from the tree when the sound of leaves behind him alerted the blond to an intruder. Spinning, Vash nocked an arrow and aimed. The blond relaxed when he saw it was only a rabbit. Sighing, Vash started to lower his bow when he remembered how low he was on food supplies. Drawing the bow back, he aimed. _It can still get away, or I'll miss. There's no guarantee I'll hit it._ Vash thought as he breathed in and released. The arrow lodged itself in the rabbit's skull, killing it instantly. Vash walked over, pulled the arrow out, and apologized before he set to skinning and gutting the animal.

The blond had finished his small meal and had doused the fire before lying down to sleep for a while. Dreams escaped Vash, leaving only nightmares to plague him. Nightmares from his friends being killed in the streets of his town, to the sight of the dark-skinned hunter's corpse lying on the forest floor, caused Vash to wake with a start.

The blond looked around and grabbed his things before setting off. Daylight was breaking through the trees when Vash stopped and focused on listening to the sounds. Usually it was quiet, peaceful, the only disturbance being Vash. But there was a crashing noise. Vash slid an arrow into place, and he was close to drawing back when he was grabbed from behind and pulled behind a tree.

Vash struggled but didn't let go of his bow. The stranger had his hand over Vash's mouth, keeping him from crying out.

"Shh!" the stranger hissed. Vash swallowed and spotted an Ace mark on the stranger's hand. They were in the same predicament. A moment later another person, much larger, crashed through the trees and passed the spot where Vash and the stranger were hiding.

After a few minutes, the stranger sighed and let go of Vash before sliding to the ground. Vash put his weapon away and turned to get a better look at the Ace. He was about Vash's height with brown hair. He had a jacket tied around his waist, showing his dirt-covered shirt. His boots were worn and looked like they were stolen, as they didn't quite fit the boy. In the boy's jacket was tucked a sheath in which could only be a dagger.

The stranger looked up at Vash and breathed, his eyes showing no fear, only determination. Vash held his hand out to the boy and pulled him up.

"My name is Vash. Who're you?"

The boy looked straight into Vash's eyes and said firmly, "Lovino."

 **A.N.** BOOM! I hope yuns enjoyed this chappie! Until next time! - Neko


	5. Snap

**A.N.** Good day! *shoves chapter at readers* Now you get to find out what happened to Lovino before he met Vash! And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Roderich had been traveling with Lovino and Feli for three days, and Lovino's opinion of the nobleman hadn't changed. Lovino pushed some low hanging branches away for Feli to pass. The younger brother still hadn't talked to Lovino much after he had yelled at him. Guilt filled Lovino and he knew he should apologize, just not yet, not with Roderich here.

The small group stopped for a while and Lovino pointed back where they had come from saying, "I wanna check something out. Wait here okay?"

Feliciano simply nodded while Roderich smiled. Lovino padded off covering the tracks they had left, and started glancing around for signs of hunters. The brunette stopped remembering Roderich's smile. It was too malicious, almost as if the Jack had something planned. Spinning, Lovino dashed back to where he had left Feli and Roderich.

 _Please be okay, please be okay!_ Lovino thought, branches scraping his face as he pushed past the low hanging branches in a rush. Lovino scanned the area where he had last seen his brother and Roderich, but there was no one there.

The space where the two had been sitting was empty. Panic gripped Lovino as he hurriedly started checking around for any sign of his brother. The only things Lovino could find were a small dagger that must have been Roderich's and a scrap of paper.

Hands shaking, Lovino unfolded the note and bit his lip trying to read the handwriting. The brunette's reading skills were far behind his age level, but nonetheless he was able to decipher what it said. Hatred, guilt, sadness, and fear burst in Lovino as he reread the paper.

' _Feliciano has told me he hates you and he'd rather travel with me. Survival should be easier for both you and me now that we have split. If you still wish to see your brother, meet me in Clubs in the city of Zaka in 2 years – Roderich'_

Lovino screamed, throwing the paper on the ground. He had screwed up. If he had apologized to Feliciano, maybe he would still have his brother with him. Lovino grabbed the paper and crumpled it up. Zaka. Two years. Too long, that was too long for Lovino to wait.

Lovino stood and grabbed the dagger Roderich had left him. It was sharp, well taken care of, and sturdy. Shoving it in the waist of his jacket, Lovino kicked a tree in frustration before starting out again. If the two had left right after Lovino had gone to cover their tracks, there was no way he'd be able to catch up with them, even if he knew which way they had gone.

Lovino traveled alone for a couple of days until he had run into a group of sleeping campers in the night. He had stolen a pair of boots from the campers, tucking his pants into them so they would fit better.

Then there was the hunter. Lovino had spotted him and had started to hide until he saw a blond boy. The brunette made a risky move by pulling the blond behind a tree and covering his mouth. The hunter passed and Lovino sank to the ground in relief.

Vash had been quiet for the first few minutes of having Lovino around, but the archer seemed to enjoy the brunette's company as they started walking with each other.

The two boys had walked and chatted quietly for a bit until they came across a dirt road in the forest.

"Traveling performers go through here as a short cut." Vash explained and Lovino pointed down the road.

"Someone's coming." Lovino said and Vash stiffened. Lovino turned to the Jack asking, "Wanna hitch a ride?"

"But we'll get found out. Your mark is too obvious." Vash said pointing to Lovino's hand.

Lovino nodded "Good point." Fishing around in his bag, Lovino pulled out some bandages and quickly set to wrapping his hand. After he finished, he showed Vash the bandage covered hand.

"Better?" Lovino asked, and Vash nodded sighing in exasperation.

The people coming were a group of twos and threes from Hearts on their way to Diamonds for a small festival. They were traveling in an open cart pulled by two horses. Lovino and Vash were welcomed, and the two boys spent the ride quietly exchanging ideas of what they should do.

The two boys got off as the performers said they were going to leave the forest soon. Vash paid the performers a small sum of money, and the two boys started walking.

-LINEBREAK-

Matthew winced, grabbing his head. He had been getting headaches for a little while now and Yao was getting worried.

"Maybe we should take a break." The brunette suggested. Matthew shook his head closing his eyes and muttered, "It'll pass. I hope."

Yao gave Matthew a concerned glance but kept walking. Matthew blinked as thoughts that weren't his entered his head. They were concerned, worried, and brotherly. They sounded like Yao.

Glancing up, Matthew saw the path they were taking. They were going to pass through Diamonds and stay near the edge of the forest, but Matthew didn't think it was right.

Another shot of pain went thought Matthew's head, and he doubled over, dropping his bow and quiver. Yao was next to him, rubbing his back and trying to calm both Matthew and himself when Matthew heard it.

"We need to go right." Matthew said quietly, the pain receding. Yao gave Matthew a look of concern and disbelief.

"Why right? I thought we were go-"

"I heard someone say to go right. I think I should listen." Matthew interrupted.

Yao's mouth dropped open. "I'm traveling with a crazy person! Aiyaa!"

Matthew stood, grabbing his bow while Yao reluctantly followed the blond. The two walked for a while and Matthew noticed that they seemed to be covering more ground than before. The blond nudged Yao who nodded. "Time is moving slower here."

A time zone. They were in a time zone. Time moved slower or faster in those areas of the kingdoms, but it was impossible to track where the zones were. It was almost as if they changed their locations on their own.

After a while, Matthew and Yao noticed that they had either stepped out of the zone or the zone had moved on, as time had returned to normal. Matthew watched Yao as he fiddled with the hilt of his dagger as they walked. The two boys had become used to each other's company and could recognize when something was wrong.

"You okay? You seem, I dunno, nervous." Matthew commented as they walked, and Yao made a sound of acknowledgment. "I'm worried that if we run into more hunters, we won't be able to fight them off. There's only so much the two of us can do."

Matthew nodded, understanding Yao's concerns. Even though Yao had a knife and Matthew a bow, they didn't know how to use them. Matthew thought that archery seemed easy enough, but he hadn't found time to try it out. Yao's dagger looked deadly, but he too had no time to practice with his weapon. If attacked they might injure a few of their attackers but nothing more.

A rustling from their left made Matthew freeze and Yao stiffen. The brunette drew his blade and Matthew nocked an arrow. From the bushes a blond boy pushed his way into Matthew and Yao's line of sight, his hands raised.

Another boy followed the blond, a glare set firmly on his face. The two lowered their hands as Yao and Matthew lowered their weapons. The blond's eyes flicked back and forth between Matthew and Yao. Matthew stepped forward and pulled his sleeve up showing his Ace marking to the two. The brunette boy pulled the bandages off his left hand and showed his Ace mark to Matthew.

Both pairs relaxed. Matthew smiled softly and motioned for the others to join them.

"I'm Matthew and this is Yao," Matthew said motioning to Yao, "What are your names?"

The brunette scowled and crossed his arms defensively as the blond spoke, "I'm Vash. He's Lovino."

 **A.N.** Another chapter finished! As always I love reviews and hearing what you guys think! Until next time! - Retso


	6. Anrufen

**A.N.** What's up guys? You people would not believe what happened to me this week. I got sick on Sunday and Monday, an ear infection on Tuesday and Wednesday, and on Thursday after going to see my friend's musical, I came down with PINK EYE! HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN TO ONE PERSON IN THE SPAN OF A WEEK?!

Anyway, I really hope you guys like this chapter because Vash and Lovi finally meet Mattie and Yao! I'm gonna try and pick up the pace with this chapter. And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Yao looked at the small group around him. Matthew had his guard up and looked prepared to fight or run if necessary. Vash and Lovino looked uncomfortable and stiff, their hands hovering over their weapons for defense. Yao cleared his throat, glanced again at the new duo, and asked nervously, "Do you wanna join us?"

Lovino stiffened and stepped behind Vash, who nodded slightly. The group started again in the direction Yao and Matthew were traveling. Matthew had dropped back to talk with the new additions to their group while Yao stayed in front clearing the way for the others.

The woods of the kingdoms were thick in some places and thinner in others. Yao thought about that as he walked, remembering the stories about the place his mother had told him when he was younger. There was a reason the forest was undeveloped and almost avoided, almost as if had a mind of its own. The legend was about a girl who dreaded marrying a man she hated. So she ran into the forest and was assumed dead when in truth, she was found by a hunter who took her in and protected her. Eventually the couple married and lived in the forest for the rest of their lives. From then on, their spirits protected those in need of refuge. However, most people didn't believe the legend and merely told it as a story to young children.

Yao shook his head thinking about that when Lovino's voice cut harshly through the quiet chatter behind him. "I'm sick of running."

Yao turned to see the others. Vash was nodding in agreement and Matthew looked meek, as if he had done something wrong. Stepping forward, Yao said, "We all are Lovino, so what do you propose?"

Lovino flushed red in anger before snapping, "Fight back. I wanna fight and get back what they took from us."

Yao was taken aback. How was this going to play out? "How do you expect we do that?" Yao asked out of curiosity and was surprised when Matthew spoke up.

"We aren't warriors, but we did survive. That means we have at least a chance at this."

"But we can't just charge into the kingdom capitals and demand they revoke the decrees." Vash said, biting his fingernail in thought, "We need to train, find comrades, and get the people on our side."

Yao nodded, standing up straighter than before. "Running won't do us any good. Lovino has that right, but Vash and Matthew also have good reasons. If we try and get what we want now, we'll be killed."

Lovino made a growling sound in the back of his throat. "I also have a score to settle with someone. I'm not going to give up easily."

Yao nodded, thinking of how he should unite the group. "We all have ideas, and we all want to survive, how do you suppose we do that?"

Vash glanced up from the ground and spoke clearly. "We make a path. Give people a reason to get behind us and support us. Even if it's a small step I think we should start there."

Lovino pointed at Matthew and asked, "You have something to say?"

Matthew looked up and nodded. "I think we should start with what Vash is saying. We're all different, but I think we can work together. Yao and I need training with our weapons. Would you two be willing to spar and train with us?"

Lovino smirked and Vash nodded humbly saying, "If that's what you want I'm sure we can assist."

Yao sighed, a feeling of happiness settling in his chest. He and the others had a common goal, a purpose, not to just survive anymore, but they were going to reclaim what was theirs. Yao glanced at Matthew who smiled softly.

Turning around, Yao called, "We'll stop for a break soon. For now let's keep going."

-LINEBREAK-

Vash walked next to Matthew to be better acquainted with the blond, while Lovino chose to walk next to Yao. Vash tried to calm himself but he was honestly excited. He felt as if he was accomplishing something in choosing to fight back with Lovino, Matthew, and Yao.

Matthew spoke softly to Vash about a few things, mostly planning a route to travel, until Yao slowed and dropped his things in a small clearing, and Lovino said it was break time. Vash dropped his pack next to Yao's and picked up his bow and quiver.

"I'm gonna go practice. I'll be back soon." Vash said and Lovino shouted at Vash to stop being such a pain before pulling out his dagger to practice himself.

As Vash made his way out he almost missed the fact that Matthew was following him. With a shy smile Matthew asked, "Can I join you?"

Vash nodded and found an area where he could show Matthew how to shoot properly. Vash pointed at Matthew and said, "Hold your bow so I can see something."

Matthew nodded and fumbled slightly with the bow but held it in his left hand and mimicked drawing back the string with his right. Vash quickly saw where Matthew could improve his stance, so he went around and told the other blond where to shift his body.

"Now try drawing the string back without an arrow. Just for practice." Matthew did so and breathed calmly as he released the string. Vash crossed his arms in thought and picked up his own bow and an arrow.

"Watch me okay? I'm not the best but we can learn from each other." Drawing back the arrow, Vash aimed at a specific spot on a tree and exhaled as he released. The arrow hit the tree with a 'thunk', and Vash lowered the bow. He was close to his target, but not close enough to where he wanted the arrow to hit.

"That was good!" Matthew exclaimed, looking at the tree. "But you seemed a bit stiff, almost as if you want to miss your target."

Vash nodded, looking at his bow again. It was a beautiful weapon made of dark wood with little carvings of small aquatic animals and fish carved into the handle of the wood.

 _But it's not mine_ , Vash thought as he gripped the weapon. Vash held the bow the opposite way from Matthew, drawing the string back with his left hand and holding the bow with his right. Vash motioned for Matthew to try shooting with a few arrows.

Matthew's shots, although they were only a few, hit their intended targets on the first try.

"Beginner's luck I think," Matthew said, shyly rubbing the back of his head as Vash inspected the shots.

"No, you have talent for this. You're focused enough to be able to shoot, but aware of your surroundings."

Matthew beamed at Vash's words and the two started to head back to where Yao and Lovino were. Matthew happily chatted to Vash about some things until he asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

Vash stiffened and nodded. "Just a sister. She's younger than I am by a few years but she's a sweetheart. I just hope she's okay."

Matthew nodded saying, "I have a brother–a twin actually. He has a King mark and he's the opposite of me. Brave, loud, a leader, and strong. I miss him."

Vash placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder. "But you have your own qualities. From what I can tell, you're quiet but dependable, and supporting. All of those traits, although they're different from your brother's, are an important part of you."

Matthew smiled, mumbling, "Nobody's ever said that about me. Thanks Vash."

The two blonds smiled and made their way to the spot where they left Lovino and Yao. As the two approached the place where they would meet up, Vash heard shouting and quickened his pace, hoping to see what was going on.

What Vash and Matthew found as they entered the small clearing was Lovino and Yao attacking each other and parrying the attacks with their sheathed blades. Lovino grunted as Yao jammed his sheathed dagger in Lovino's gut. The Ace in return pushed Yao's arm up giving himself an opening in which Lovino used the side of his covered blade to hit Yao in the ribs.

Vash stared as the two kept at it. The two brunettes almost came close to hitting each other in the face and head a few times but were able to dodge. Vash hadn't seen anyone fight with knives or swords before, and it entranced the blond. Lovino dodged clumsily but made up for it in his precise attacks, while Yao dodged as if he was dancing. However, his attacks weren't as strong.

A small smile found its way onto Vash's lips as the two brunettes stopped fighting to talk to Matthew about charting a course. Maybe this concept of fighting back could work.

-LINEBREAK-

"I'm telling you, there're people coming, four of them. They're gonna need our help." A white haired male said, his voice ringing clearly throughout the chamber where there were only a few people. An older man sitting on a cushioned seat shook his head. "We've been through this many times. Although you may have the power of seeing the past, you do not possess foresight. That is a trait that only the red Jokers possess."

The white haired male bit back curses as he was dismissed. Pushing up the sleeves of his shirt, he walked from the chamber and into the common area where Joker children were playing happily. Wind passed through the street and the kids laughed happily, causing a smile to break across the male's face.

Turning his red eyes upward at the sky, Gilbert shivered as another vision of the future flicked through his mind. It was the same four people as in the vision before. Two blond, two brunette, all Jacks and Aces in need of support. The vision ended with the small group standing in front of the entrance to the Joker kingdom, and Gilbert shivered. The albino started walking towards his home where he could think properly.

As he passed some Joker women, Gilbert's hand went to the left side of his neck where his black Joker mark was located. The albino continued down the familiar road until he reached his home. Inside, Gilbert set to preparing for the four guests whom he assumed would be coming.

Although Gilbert could see the past more accurately, he could see the future too. The only problem was, nobody believed him.

"They're just unawesome. I'm too awesome for their minds to handle." Gilbert said as he set aside a couple of rooms in his house for the guests. Gilbert allowed himself a small smile as he fixed up the rest of the home. He had no idea when the travelers would be coming, but it would be soon.

"This'll be fun," Gilbert said, a mischievous smile creeping across his face.

 **A.N.** WOOHOO! Prussia is finally here! IMPORTANT QUESTION: Should I start making the chapters longer? The updates will stay the same but I want to get the story moving and I think longer chapters would do just that. What do yuns think? Anyway, I hope yuns enjoyed this chapter just as much as I did! Until next time! - Neko


	7. Euchre

**A.N.** Hello my awesome peoples! Thank you to **IcelandicLicorice, Chykori, Poisonlilie, shojouchan,** and **Patient Harmony** for reviewing! Thank you all for your encouragement, I'm going to try to start making the chapters longer starting…now! Here's a quick shout out to my buddy who reads this but isn't really in the fandom (Hi Tez!)! And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Lovino kept his hand on the hilt of his knife as the group walked through the woods. The teens were just near the border of Hearts and Diamonds, and Lovino realized that he and Vash had turned around when they joined Matthew and Yao. Lovino shrugged, it didn't matter anymore, as long as the four stayed together none of them would die.

A sharp pain shot through Lovino's head and he stumbled, catching himself before he tumbled into Vash. The blond turned and looked Lovino over asking, "You feeling alright?"

Lovino nodded as another burst of pain shot through his head. Matthew and Yao leaned over the brunette and told him to sit down. Reluctantly Lovino did so as Yao asked questions.

"Do you have a headache? Are you going to be sick? Can you keep going?"

Lovino swallowed and grabbed his head as another shot of pain came about, fuzzing up his eyes. "Head hurts, not sick. I can walk," Lovino said through clenched teeth.

Vash shook his head but helped the stubborn brunette up and stayed next to him in case something happened. Yao and Matthew shared a look that Lovino couldn't read, but he kept walking.

As they walked, Lovino's headache subsided and he let his mind wander. How was Feli doing? He hoped he was okay. If that Roderich even so much as touched him the wrong way Lovino would –

"Not again." Matthew's quiet voice cut through Lovino's thoughts. The blond was clutching his head and he had squatted down, Yao was rubbing Matthew's back and talking softly to him.

"What happened?" Lovino asked, stepping forward as Yao answered. "Matthew started having headaches just before you two joined us. He said something about hearing voices but he never elaborated on the subject."

Lovino nodded. If Matthew was going crazy there was no way he'd admit it. Looking around, Lovino saw something jump out at him and he stumbled backwards into Vash.

"What was that for?" The blond asked, a bit miffed at Lovino.

Lovino gaped at his surroundings. Colors jumped out at the brunette. He could see the small details on the trees around them, and he could see farther than before. Looking at Vash, Lovino waved his hands to their surroundings, "Aren't you seeing this?"

Vash gave Lovino a worried look and shook his head. "What do you mean? Everything looks normal."

Lovino shook his head, "No. How are you not seeing this?"

Matthew stood and joined the group, "I think Lovino's experiencing a similar thing that I am. I can hear voices, all of yours too, but only after I get those really bad headaches. What if Lovino's doesn't affect his mind, but his sight?"

Lovino looked at Yao who was biting his lip, "What do you think?"

Yao gave a shaky breath and said, "I think you and Matthew are unintentionally using magic."

The statement silenced everyone. Vash gave a questioning look to Yao, and Lovino motioned for him to continue.

"Matthew and Lovino are Aces. They have a higher potential for magic. What if they activated it somehow and they can't control it? That would explain your headaches, Matthew hearing things, and Lovino seeing things."

The three nodded and Matthew glanced at Lovino, who felt a bit irritated but contained himself. "What is it?"

Matthew bit his lip, "If we are using magic, how do we control it? If we collapse in a fight we'll be absolutely useless."

Lovino shrugged, and the group kept going. After a bit Lovino's sight returned to normal, but his head still throbbed. _Probably a side effect,_ Lovino thought, as they walked. Lovino messed around with his dagger by tossing it to himself and catching the handle. This annoyed Vash to no end and only encouraged Lovino to continue his actions.

-LINEBREAK-

Matthew let out a breath of relief as he thought back on what Yao had said. It did make more sense that Matthew and Lovino would have magic slipping out and no way to control it. The blond started thinking and visualized a map of the kingdoms in his head, Matthew could only guess where they were at the moment, but he tried his best. Thinking on what the group said they needed and wanted to do, Matthew started charting a course and was about to talk to Yao about it when a voice sounded in Matthew's mind. " _Don't go through the northern Hearts path, there's been checkpoints and soldiers looking for Aces and Jacks."_

Matthew looked around and saw that Vash was busy talking to Lovino about what he saw and Yao was walking in silence. Matthew bit his lip and thought back, " _Who are you?"_

A laugh from the voice echoed in Matthew's mind. _"Finally, a two-way connection! It doesn't really matter who I am, but who you are."_

" _What does that mean?"_ Matthew thought, wondering what the stranger meant. _"It doesn't matter right now, but instead of heading through the northern Hearts path, go straight through the southern path. I know it's risky, but it'll get ya closer to where you need to go."_

Matthew tried for another reply from the stranger in his head but to no avail. Matthew envisioned the map again, only going the way the voice had said to go. It was a longer way to travel. The voice obviously didn't know what he was talking about, unless there was a reason.

"'It doesn't matter who I am, but who you are.'" Matthew voiced, drawing the others attention to him.

Yao gave Matthew a look of confusion, Vash narrowed his eyes in concentration and seemed to think while Lovino asked bluntly, "What the hell does that mean?"

Matthew shook his head, "I heard it. Someone said to go through the southern Hearts path instead of the northern, he said there were checkpoints where Jacks and Aces were being found."

Yao kept walking, albeit much slower, as Matthew continued to talk, "The route through northern Hearts is faster. I don't know why I was told to go south, but if there are checkpoints maybe it would be a better idea. What do you guys think?"

Yao shrugged, "I think it's your call Matthew. You've been navigating us, so I think you should make our routes."

Lovino nodded in agreement, "Whatever that thing in your head told ya, you should make the decision."

Matthew smiled at the brunettes' replies and turned to Vash, "What about you?"

"I think we should go south," Vash said, meeting Matthew's eyes. "I'm not sure if you and Lovino really are using magic and don't know it, but if we go south and find what we're looking for we might find a way to control your magic, if that's what it is."

Matthew nodded, feeling satisfied with everyone's answer. Yao moved back a bit so Matthew could lead the way for a bit.

-LINEBREAK-

When Roderich had first joined the two brothers he had seen that Feli was a bit distant from Lovino; perhaps they had a fight before Roderich came around. Feliciano had attached himself to Roderich and was intent on becoming friends, while Lovino was wary and wanted nothing to do with the nobleman.

It was only when Lovino was sleeping that Feliciano truly opened up to Roderich and told him how he thought Lovino hated him because he was a Jack.

Roderich didn't consider himself a bad person. He always upheld his business deals when he was with his family, he never told lies to his fiancé, and he always kept his word. Roderich had in his life only made one promise to himself. It was when he was running from his family when they were visiting Hearts for a vacation, the decree had just been passed, and Roderich had started running without a thought about what he was leaving behind. As he charged loudly through the trees of the nearby woods he made himself one promise that he needed to uphold. Live. Live no matter what the cost.

After hearing Feliciano's worries about his brother hating him, the gears in Roderich's head started turning. Each night after Lovino had fallen asleep, Roderich would talk to Feli, who would lie awake. In that time Roderich learned that Feliciano and Lovino had rather close ties. They lived with their parents and grandfather in a Hearts town. After they had escaped Lovino had started getting angry, and apparently Feli thought it was his fault.

It was when Lovino left to cover their tracks that Rodeirch made his move, "Would you like to travel with me?"

Feli had looked up confused, "What about Lovi?"

Roderich shrugged and stood up, grabbing his things. "It's obvious that he hates you; you were right about that. He doesn't like me either, so I'm leaving. Do you want to come?"

Roderich turned and saw Feli close to tears. The younger boy looked heartbroken. "Does Lovi really hate me?" He asked quietly.

Roderich nodded and finished his packing. When he turned around he saw Feliciano with his own pack ready to go.

"You're coming with me?" Roderich asked, wondering if this kid was that gullible. Feliciano nodded and looked up at Roderich, "If Lovi hates me I don't wanna be a burden."

Roderich had then dropped the note he had written and the dagger before he and Feli set out. After a couple of minutes he heard a scream that had to have been Lovino's, but Feliciano just kept walking with Roderich.

While Lovino had the group traveling towards Diamonds, Roderich had turned himself and Feli around and was traveling towards northern Hearts in hopes of finding other Aces and Jacks to join them.

Roderich was definitely not a warrior. Every time he and Feli would encounter a hunter or campers, Feli would start whispering how he would surrender while Roderich tried to compose himself but would always try and find another route to go.

The tall brunette prided himself on knowing fencing but in a real battle was useless. He found this out when he and Feliciano were attacked by a lone hunter. The hunter was obviously weak and Roderich should've been able to take him, but he failed miserably.

Roderich's long dagger wasn't the weapon his was used to using so he was ineffective, the only reason they won the fight was because of Feli who, in the heat of Roderich's battle, had found a stick and had beat the man upside the head when he was hovering over Roderich. It relieved Roderich that the man didn't die from the blow, Feliciano was too innocent to become a killer, but nonetheless it humiliated Roderich to have lost his fight and to have a 12 year old save him.

The two were now reaching the northern Hearts paths where it was common for travelers, performers, hunters, and even convicts to travel through Hearts on the road. It did make Roderich nervous. If he and Feliciano were caught there'd be no way out for them. Striding forward onto the dirt road, Roderich felt Feli right next to him, the younger boy was almost shaking he was scared.

A warm feeling encased Roderich's hand and he glanced down at Feli, who had grabbed the taller boy's hand in fear. Roderich pulled his hand free and sped up a bit, causing Feli to walk faster and not have time to hold hands. Roderich needed to survive, not make friends.

The two received a few looks of uncertainty, but so did all of the men and women dressed as if they had been traveling for a while. Roderich took in his surroundings and spotted a kid around his age. He was fit and looked on guard, as if he was going to be jumped at any second.

 _One of us?_ Roderich thought, looking down at Feliciano, he wondered if maybe he had found his next party member in the tense brunette boy.

 **A.N.** DONE! I hope yuns enjoyed this! I think I made it a bit longer…I'm working on it. Anyway, I love reviews and I can't wait to see what you think! _**Special question! Who is the boy Roddy wants to add to his party?**_ Whoever can guess that will get a special treat! Until next time! – Neko


	8. Alkort

**A.N.** Hey people! Congratulations to **Poisonlilie, Naya, dionna,** and **shoujochan** for reviewing and getting the answer to my question correct! The boy Roddy wants to add to his group is Spain! As a reward, I'll be mentioning you guys in this chapter as small bit parts (I hope that's acceptable and I get your genders right). And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Yao kicked a rock off the path the four were traveling and turned his attention back to Matthew, listening to what the blond was saying. The four had exited the forest and were walking along the southern Hearts path, where they could be caught all too easily if they weren't paying attention.

True to what the voice in Matthew's head had told them, the group overheard from other travelers rumors that had made their way down to the southern part of the country of the northern Hearts path having checkpoints and regular searches. Matthew had been talking about how they should try heading deeper into Hearts in search of the person talking to him, and the others agreed reluctantly. The voice had steered them away from danger and seemed to know what they wanted to accomplish.

Looking around, Yao saw Lovino making his way up to him. As he walked next to the shorter male, Lovino asked, "Can we talk? I think I can help with some things."

Yao glanced at Matthew who nodded and dropped back a few steps to speak with Vash.

"Go on." Yao said, motioning for Lovino to talk.

Licking his lips, Lovino began, "Don't start thinking I care or anything, but if we are going to start heading deeper into Hearts we need to stick to the main roads."

Yao was about to ask what Lovino meant by that when the angry brunette continued. "It'll be more dangerous, but nobody would expect it. And the people in southern Hearts are more welcoming to strangers than up north."

Yao nodded and asked, "How do you know that?"

Lovino shrugged, "I was born in southern Hearts but we relocated to the northern part of the country after an accident in our town."

Yao started thinking as he continued down the dirt path. Lovino's idea could work if they played their cards right. Looking about, Yao saw just how tired his group was and how much they needed a break.

"Let's take a rest." Yao said, walking off the almost empty road. Yao sat down and was joined by the other two who were consulting Lovino about how Hearts built their towns.

"The southern half builds them right on the edge of the forests, while up north they stay a bit away. If we did take shelter in a town, it'd be best if we did it somewhere near the forest in case we need a quick escape."

Yao grabbed his knife and turned it in his hands. Normally he would've been paying more attention, but something was bothering Yao. Why was it that they were having such an easy time traveling through Hearts when in Diamonds the four had encountered hunters almost every few days?

"We should move out now. I'm not feeling that this is a good way to be going." Yao stated, standing up. The others seemed to catch on as they walked among the other people on the small road with their hands on their weapons in case they were jumped.

-LINEBREAK-

Roderich had quickly made his way to the brunette boy and tapped his shoulder. The boy whirled around, his wide green eyes betraying his smile as he said, "Hello! May I help you?"

Roderich nodded, and Feli stood on the other side of Roderich as he said, "My name is Roderich, and this is Feliciano. We were wondering if we could join you."

The boy's eyes flicked to Feliciano, and he smiled before replying, "I'm afraid not. I don't think this little one should be with someone like me."

Roderich smiled and pulled his jacket sleeve up just enough for the brunette to see the Jack mark on his arm. The boy's eyes widened and he looked at Feli with a 'Him too?' look on his face. Roderich nodded as he let the fabric fall to cover his arm again.

"I'm Antonio. I'm from Diamonds and I'd be happy to travel with you two!" Antonio exclaimed happily, grabbing Feli's hand he started walking again. Roderich made his way to the front of the two so he was leading the way as he thought about his situation. Now that he had Antonio and Feli with him, Roderich had a better chance at survival.

Feli didn't have any fighting skills, and Antonio's combat style was unknown to Roderich. But he did know that if he polished up on using his dagger he could be able to fight with as much skill as he had developed when fencing during his past as a nobleman. Holding his head a bit higher, Roderich listened in on Feli and Antonio's conversation for a bit before interrupting and asking his own questions.

"Antoino, have you had any experience fighting?" Roderich asked a bit proudly.

Antoino shook his head and smiled, "No, but I did work on my family's farm! I did a lot of the heavy duty work, and after my brother took over the farm I started helping out by building wagons and tools in the nearby town!"

Roderich nodded, so Antoino's family had a farm. It wasn't uncommon for people in each of the countries to have farms and ranches, but agriculture was Clubs' specialty due to their huge land mass and flat lands. But that did explain how Antonio was fit and looked like he could hold his own in a brawl.

"If we can get you a weapon, do you think you can learn to use it?" Roderich asked. Antonio looked unsure.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on what kind of tool you give me!" The happy brunette replied with a smile. Roderich had to force himself not to roll his eyes. Antonio was one of those happy types who always saw things in a good way instead of looking at things rationally.

 _I can work with this_ , Roderich thought, analyzing his companions. _I just need one more companion to make this work properly._

-LINEBREAK-

Vash stayed in the back of the group in case of an emergency, while Matthew and Lovino were in the middle with Yao in the lead. So far, they hadn't encountered any opposition, just two kind girls named Lilie and Shou who had offered them some of their family's produce that didn't sell very well at the market.

Biting his lip, Vash surveyed the open road in front of them. It was littered with travelers like themselves, farmers selling their wares like Lilie and Shou, a few merchants, and a few horses carrying riders. It didn't look like there were any hunters or soldiers around but Vash still felt uncomfortable.

Striding forward, Vash spoke in a low voice to Lovino, "I don't feel too safe here."

Lovino nodded and replied, "It feels like we're being watched by some freaks. I don't like it."

Vash dropped back to the end of the group where he thought to himself and kept an eye open for anything out of the norm. Everything was going just a bit too well for comfort. What if they were being set up? The blond shook the idea from his mind. That just didn't make sense to him.

Looking around, Vash saw just how many people were on the road. It wasn't enough to actually catch the four, but the amount was still unsettling. Vash picked up his pace, as did the others when they saw him pulling ahead of them. Matthew sped up so he could talk to Vash and asked, "What's going on? Did you notice something?"

Vash shook his head saying, "No, but we keep getting looks from the other people here. I think they're noticing we're not regular travelers."

Matthew agreed, and the others seemed to catch on as well. The people on foot and in wagons were giving them glances of uncertainty, which didn't sit well with Vash who was itching to get away from here.

Yao tapped Vash's shoulder and said quietly, "What do you think we should do?"

Vash thought with a serious face before replying, "Let's keep going this way for now. I don't like it, but we're nearing a town so we can take some time to come up with a cover for ourselves there. We're going to get found out sometime, so we might as well have some kind of backup plan. We can work it out there. For now we should all think of something."

Yao nodded, and Vash repeated what he had said to Matthew and Lovino.

"I still don't like this route." Lovino said, his hand hovering nervously over his blade. Matthew seemed to agree but insisted that the voice told him to come down this way. Vash just kept walking. There was no reason to get into an argument with Matthew about what he was hearing, and besides, if things went well they could lay low for a bit.

-LINEBREAK-

Gilbert snickered as the targets of his prank came into view. They were two Joker girls who had insulted him earlier about his appearance and his power. Gilbert had ignored them then but was always up for pranking someone, and these two girls just happened to be the perfect targets.

The two girls, Naya and Dionna he thought, screamed as they tripped the wire Gilbert had rigged, and a bucket of worms and dirt fell on each of them from the trees around them. Gilbert laughed as the two girls screamed at him and tried to wipe the creatures and dirt off themselves.

The white haired male took that as his cue. Turning, he started running with a grin plastered to his face. As he neared the area where some of the houses were located, Gilbert slowed to a walk. Things were boring in Joker kingdom. They used to be exciting and fun but now the elders and rulers of the kingdom had become more wary of interactions with any of the other kingdoms.

Gilbert slammed the door to his house behind him and trudged inside. The four visitors he had seen in his vision of the future hadn't arrived yet and everyone in Joker kingdom believed that Gilbert was pulling their leg again with his false predictions. The rooms were still set up and ready for when they came. The Joker knew that they would come sooner or later.

Gilbert grimaced as he was going to try to get another two-way connection between him and the more open member of the group. Magic wasn't something that Gilbert should've been good at or even have the talent for, but somehow he was able to lock on to a certain person and communicate with them if he knew where they were. Grabbing his darts off the dartboard in his room, Gilbert tried focusing some of his tracking power into the sharp object as he threw it at a map of the four kingdoms. The dart landed on the southern Hearts path, just a bit southwest of where Joker kingdom was currently located.

Clenching his fist in victory, Gilbert breathed out and opened his mind so he could try to speak through his mind to the open-minded traveler. The Joker had only been able to get a good connection with the traveler once, and even then he hadn't been able to tell the boy what he was trying to do.

The first few thoughts that Gilbert tried to send through usually ended up not making it to the traveler, but after a few tries Gilbert could feel what he was trying to say being received by the other. A sharp pain started in the red-eyed boy's head, but he ignored it. The pain was something that came with learning magic. Only someone who could control their power and not be afraid of it wouldn't experience any pain to their person.

" _If you can hear me, try and think something"_ , Gilbert thought to the traveler as the sharp pain started subsiding slightly. A fuzzy reply echoed in Gilbert's mind, and he let a smile of victory creep across his face as what the traveler was saying became clear.

" _Who are you? Don't say it doesn't matter, 'cause it does."_ The traveler's voice said to Gilbert. The red-eyed male calmed himself and thought back, _"I'm on your side. You took the path I suggested, so that must mean you trust the awesome me."_

" _What do you want with me?"_ The traveler asked. Gilbert cocked his head to the side as he tried to figure how to answer the question directed at him. Finally he came up with, _"I know you need help. I can offer you shelter and supplies if you listen to me and follow my instructions."_

The other didn't reply, and Gilbert worried that he had broken the connection somehow when the traveler answered. _"Where do you need us to go?"_

" _Start heading northeast. The location I'm at is just north of a town called Runorow. My location is in the forest; if you really need help, you'll be able to find it. Ask for the Black Joker Gilbert and you'll find me."_

Gilbert didn't wait for a response as he broke the connection. The Joker was tired from maintaining a constant flow of magic energy, and all he wanted to do was sleep for a bit. Unfortunately, a familiar cold feeling was spreading through Gilbert, causing him to go weak in the knees and drop to the ground. A small burst of pain shot through Gilbert's head and he felt blood trickle from his nose as he was dragged into the vision.

 _They were in the chamber of Joker kingdom where all visitors had to be vouched for before being allowed refuge in the kingdom. The old elder man and the other Joker officials sat on seats in a half circle around the four dark figures. One of the figures stepped forward and shouted at them while another pulled him back._

 _The figures started discussing among themselves when one of them cried out and crumpled to the ground. The leader of the group turned and started pleading with the elder fiercely and—_

Gilbert's eyes opened as he came into consciousness. Sitting up, he wiped at the blood that had started to dry from his nose. The visions of the future were alike in many ways, but only two things stood out. Gilbert could never move from his position to get a good look at anyone. Unless he knew the people in the visions, they all appeared as black shadowy figures that made muffled sounds instead of talking. But that wasn't what bothered him most of the time. It was the fact that he couldn't see things from a different perspective. The future could hold the answer to stopping a war, and the answer could be on the other side of the room in Gilbert's visions, but he was never able to move. It always irritated the white haired male, but he learned to work with it.

One good thing came from this vision. It meant that they were coming. The travelers, who had been the first and most important thing on Gilbert's mind, were finally coming to Joker kingdom. Smiling in relief, the Black Joker leaned back against the wall of his room and whispered, "Awesome."

 **A.N.** I had fun writing Prussia's part! What do you guys think? Did I keep them in character well enough? Again, congratulations to those who answered the question in the last chapter right and I hope you enjoyed your cameo! Either you were giving food to Yao's group, or you were pranked by the Awesome Prussia! As always, I love reviews and knowing you enjoyed this! Until next time! - Neko


	9. Biritch

**A.N.** Hey guys I'm back! On a personal note, I went to my brother's dance thingy last week and had a blast! One of my friends dressed up really nicely and looked kinda like Sebastian from Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji and when I saw him and that registered I said, "Oh Bassy!"

So, I figured out my goal for this story and I intend on finishing it before the end of September at the latest. If I can get more chapters written up and ready I might upload more often during the summer. Yao's group is back in the forest. I think I got a bit evil in this chapter, as there is blood. You have your warning. And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Lovino racked his brain trying to think of a way to contribute to the group. The four had entered the town Vash had mentioned and were welcomed in by the people living there. The townspeople didn't question anything about them and gave them shelter for the night. It was strange to Lovino that they weren't being questioned. They were four teenagers traveling through the country without anything other than each other and their weapons.

The brunette boy turned his attention back to the forest in which they had been walking. After another headache in the southern Hearts path, Matthew said that they should head towards Runorow, a large town of which Lovino knew, and find the voice. Vash had been wary of doing what the voice in Matthew's head told them to do, but he chose to keep his opinions to himself.

A few curses slipped from Lovino's mouth as he tripped over a rock and stumbled into Vash, who toppled over.

"Watch it!" Lovino snapped. Vash shoved the brunette off him and stood up saying, "You were the one to bump into me. You watch it."

Feeling his cheeks redden in embarrassment, Lovino picked himself up, and the two jogged to catch up to Yao and Matthew. The four traveled in silence for the most part unless someone needed to say something. Lovino had dropped to the back of the group and was fiddling with the hilt of his dagger, but tensed up when he heard a sound that stood out in the forest.

Everyone else kept walking, but Lovino froze in place and wrapped his hand around the hilt of his blade before catching up to the others. As he neared Vash, Lovino whispered quietly, "Am I hearing things or—"

"I heard it too." Vash stated simply. Looking at Matthew and Yao, Lovino could tell they were on guard as well. The sound was that of weapons and metal clinking together, which could only mean that there where hunters following the four.

Lovino kept his guard up but started thinking. There was no reason for hunters to be this deep in the forest, and even then only Diamonds was giving out rewards for turning in Jacks and Aces.

Without warning, an arrow flew past Lovino and embedded itself in the tree next to him. "Run!" Yao snapped, having started running with Matthew behind him. Lovino forced himself to move forward through the trees when a round of arrows shot at them. Weaving through the trees, Lovino tried to keep Vash and Yao in his sight. Matthew was the fastest as he already passed the others and was out of sight in the trees.

Lovino glanced over his shoulder and felt something drop in his gut. There were five of them. Five hunters and four unskilled kids with no idea of what to do. Pushing himself forward, Lovino hissed to Vash, "We can't run forever"

Between gasps for breath Vash said, "We need to fight back. Yao!"

The smaller brunette turned to look at the two behind him and yelled, "Look out!"

Spinning, Lovino saw that two of the hunters were right behind them and were about to drive their blades into Vash's back. Lovino forced himself forward and shoved Vash out of the way, confusing the hunters and directing their attention to him. Hands shaking, Lovino drew his dagger and took his fighting stance.

No sparring with Yao could prepare him for this. The first hunter shot forward and slammed a fist in Lovino's gut, making him double over. The next hunter, a dark skinned man, lunged forward with his blade and aimed it at Lovino. The brunette Ace felt his heart beat in his chest as he jumped out of the way, only to be attacked by the first hunter.

Lovino had dropped his dagger when he was punched and his hazel eyes scanned the forest floor for it while he clumsily dodged attacks that were directed at him. A glint on the ground caught Lovino's attention and he saw his dagger. Lunging for it, Lovino rolled on the ground and grabbed the knife. Just as the two hunters started to close in on Lovino, one arrow followed by another flew over his head and penetrated the chest of the dark skinned hunter, causing him to fall over. The other hunter glanced around, and Lovino took the chance to lunge at him and drive his dagger into the hunter's side.

Blood spurted from the wound as Lovino fell back onto the ground, and the man screamed in pain. Looking behind him, Lovino saw Vash kneeling on the ground where he had been pushed away from the fight.

"Thanks," Lovino said. Vash nodded and looked around, and then to the bleeding hunter he asked, "Where are the other three of you?"

The man tried to answer but coughed, and blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering Lovino. After another attempt, the man stopped moving, and his body relaxed. Vash pointed to the other hunter, who was struggling to get Vash's arrow out of his chest. Lovino approached him but stood far enough back that he couldn't be attacked and asked, "What was your plan of attack you snot faced piece of—"

Lovino was cut off by Vash, who had stepped forward and asked the same thing only without the swearing. The hunter looked up at the two boys and said roughly, "Why should I tell you?"

Vash glanced at Lovino and the brunette held his blood covered dagger up and said emotionlessly, "We can control whether you live or die. Either you answer and we'll leave you alive, or you don't and we'll kill you slowly."

Fear plastered itself on the man's face when he saw that Lovino wasn't joking.

"We were gonna surround ya but then you started runnin' an' we split. Me an' Rolv were gonna get you two and the others were gonna get the other two."

Lovino nodded, and Vash knelt down next to the man and placed one hand on his chest and the other on the arrow.

"Hold still," Vash said, and pulled the arrow from the hunter's chest. More blood came from the wound, but the hunter didn't seem to care. He only looked confused as Lovino and Vash started to walk in the direction that Matthew and Yao went when the hunter said, "You're not like they said you were."

Lovino glanced back and snapped, "What the hell does that mean?"

The man coughed and said, "You had the chance to kill me but you didn't. The soldiers of each kingdom are going and telling everyone that your kind kills whenever they feel like it."

Lovino felt a flash of anger surge through him and was going to say something when Vash pushed him forward and whispered, "It's just another lie. Leave it be."

Turning to the hunter, Vash said, "Try and think for yourself."

The two boys turned and left the injured hunter and the dead body to find Yao and Matthew. Lovino was covered in blood, some of which was his and some that was the hunter's. But what scared him was that he'd killed that man. Swallowing, Lovino looked at Vash whose bow was still in his hands.

"I killed him." Lovino said more to himself than to Vash. The sound of the words exiting his mouth caused a feeling of numbness to fall over Lovino as Vash nodded. "I killed him." Lovino said again. A feeling of panic set itself upon Lovino, but a warm hand on his shoulder caused the brunette to look up from the ground to see Vash saying something to try and comfort the blood covered Ace.

"You had no choice. It was either you do that and live, or do nothing and die. You chose to live."

Lovino nodded, that was true but it still weighed on the brunette's chest. Shaking his head, Lovino grit his teeth and said, "Let's go find Yao and Matt."

 _I killed someone_ , Lovino thought, _but if I didn't, I wouldn't be alive, and I wouldn't be able to find Feli. I'm not letting this hold me down._

-LINEBREAK-

Roderich glanced around, trying to figure a way out of this mess. The group had come across a checkpoint where people were being told to show their country's mark. This was where Feli had started mumbling about surrender again, and Antonio had just plastered a smile on his face and said that they should just go up and do it.

"Are you crazy?" Roderich asked, trying to figure out what the happy go lucky Ace was trying to do. Antonio laughed, and then with a serious tone of voice told Roderich, "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Roderich looked at Feli and held his head high before replying, "Fine, but if anything goes wrong, it's your fault."

Antonio nodded and gently pulled Feli along to the line for the chekpoint where they stood with Roderich in the front. When they finally reached the front Roderich was in a complete panic. What was he thinking, trusting that idiot? They were going to get caught and—

"Show me your mark." The soldier in front of Roderich said. With a shaking hand Roderich pulled the sleeve of his jacket up and looked away.

"Okay, you're clear. Next!"

Roderich blinked and was pushed forward by Antonio, who had Feli go next. Just like Roderich, Feli was allowed through with no problems–the same with Antonio. Smiling, Antonio grabbed Feliciano's hand and started walking with Roderich. After the trio was far enough away from the checkpoint Roderich asked, "What happened there?"

Antonio gave a questioning look and smiled saying, "What do you mean? We were allowed through."

Roderich shook his head and adjusted his glasses before asking, "How were we allowed through? They saw our marks and knew we were Jacks and an Ace, so why didn't they arrest us?"

Antonio bit his lip slightly and said, "Magic."

Roderich narrowed his eyes at the Ace. "I'm being serious, Antonio."

"So am I," Antonio said, and not missing a beat he continued, "I can use some magic, but only a little bit at a time. I made the soldiers think that we were a group of fours and fives from Diamonds."

Roderich nodded stiffly and walked ahead of the other two boys. Although Roderich had grown up on a wealthy manor, his talent for magic was nonexistent. He was extremely jealous of the people who could use magic, and it enraged him when someone did it in front of him. It was one thing he couldn't do, no matter how hard he tried.

"We'll head north and go into Clubs," Roderich said to Antonio and Feli. "If we can get another ally then we should have an appropriate number of people in a group to fight and get what we want."

Feli asked in a chipper voice, "What do we want?"

Antonio shared the same look of curiosity as Feli and Roderich smirked knowing he was better than the other two at thinking ahead. "We are going make it so the Jacks and Aces aren't being persecuted anymore."

It sounded like a genius idea to Roderich, but he didn't notice the looks of uncertainty that Antonio and Feliciano were sharing behind him.

-LINEBREAK-

Matthew had run to the front of the group when the five hunters attacked the group of teens. The blond had outrun everyone in his group and was trying to figure out what to do when he grabbed a tree branch and started pulling himself up into the foliage. Getting an arrow ready to shoot, Matthew positioned himself in the tree so he wasn't easily seen or able to fall out.

A crashing sound alerted Matthew to the hunters coming, and he readied himself to shoot if necessary when Yao came into sight. The brunette Jack had blood dripping from his left upper arm and had turned to confront the hunters who had followed them. _Where's Lovino and Vash?_ Matthew thought when only three of the hunters followed Yao and drew their weapons. Matthew didn't have time to think about the other two members of their party. He needed to give Yao backup from the trees.

The first hunter, a huge red haired man, lunged at Yao with a long sword. Yao jumped back and Matthew took aim at the man, waiting for the optimal time to shoot. The other two hunters grabbed their weapons, and Matthew realized he needed to change tactics. Moving his aim from the red haired hunter, the Ace took aim on the hunter who was using what appeared to be a whip. Matthew let the arrow fly and he saw it barely graze the whip user's shoulder.

 _I missed him_ , Matthew thought, pulling another arrow from his quiver and drawing it back. Yao jumped and dodged an attack from the whip user but was hit by attack from the red haired hunter. The brunette landed hard on the ground, and Matthew saw fear cross his face when the three hunters surrounded him. Matthew inhaled and exhaled as he let his next arrow fly at the third hunter. It hit the man in the leg, causing him to stumble forward, trip over a tree root, and hit his head on a rock, leaving him unconscious.

Matthew grinned as Yao jumped up and slammed his fist in the red haired hunter's face and delivered a combination of kicks and punches to the man until Yao hit him in the head with the hilt of his dagger and knocked him out. Matthew had been watching Yao fight, forgetting about the whip user. The hunter drew the whip back and with a crack, made it wrap around one of Yao's legs. The brunette cried out and fell to the ground, causing the hunter to laugh.

"I thought you freaks were strong! You're just little kids with toys!"

Matthew aimed his arrow and was about to release it but paused when he saw Yao stand up and glare at the hunter. The hunter didn't seem to notice Yao and just kept laughing and belittling him when Yao shot forward and slammed his fist in the face of the hunter, causing the bigger male to stumble back.

"Why you little freak!" The hunter yelled, drawing his whip back to use again. Yao took a simple breath and waited for the whip to hit him. Just as it came down on the Jack, Matthew released his arrow and it sailed into the hunter's shoulder. The hunter cursed and looked around for where Matthew was hiding. Matthew looked at Yao, who seemed uninjured by the whip. The brunette grabbed his knife from the forest floor and jumped on the back of the hunter and held the blade to his neck and said something Matthew couldn't hear.

The hunter dropped his whip, and Yao dropped off the hunter's back and kicked the weapon away. "Matthew, you can come down," Yao yelled, and Matthew started to dislodge himself from the branches.

Dropping down, Matthew kept an arrow at the ready just in case. The other two hunters were lying on the ground unconscious and bleeding slightly from Matthew's arrow and the hit to the head that Yao had delivered. The whip hunter raised his hands in defense, and Yao kept his dagger at the ready just in case something happened.

The sounds of people approaching diverted Matthew's attention to where Vash and a battered and bloodied Lovino were approaching them. Lovino had a look that Matthew couldn't describe on his face, and Vash was rubbing his bow handle again.

"What happened to the two that went after you?" Matthew asked, and Lovino looked down as Vash replied, "One is injured. We left him back there."

Matthew didn't ask about the other. Lovino's guilty expression told the blond Ace everything he needed to know. Yao directed the hunter with them to go take care of the hunter that Vash and Lovino had left behind. The whip user reluctantly went off to find his other companion. After he was far enough away, Yao looked the other three over and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I think we should get away from here."

Vash nodded and said, "Running looks like the best way to get moving."

Yao winced but let Vash take the lead of the group as he ran in the back. As they darted through the trees Matthew thought about when Yao was fighting the whip user. He was sure that the whip had hit Yao from above, but he had no injuries. Dropping back, Matthew asked Yao, "How did you dodge that last attack from the guy with the whip? I saw it hit you."

Yao shook his head and replied, "I don't know. But it didn't miss me, I think something got in the way."

Nothing else needed to be said between the two. They both knew what Yao was implying. He had used magic.

Soon the four slowed to take care of their injuries from the fight. Matthew was uninjured, and Vash had a few scrapes from when Lovino pushed him on the ground. Lovino had a few cuts and a split lip. But Yao had it the worst. There was a cut on his arm from an arrow that grazed him. The skin on his leg was red and swollen due to the whip. And his left shoulder had a long shallow cut.

Grimacing, Matthew and Vash did their best to patch up the two brunettes. It was too obvious to Matthew that they weren't fighters. They nearly got killed.

"Hey Matthew, how far do you think Runorow is?" Matthew looked up at Lovino who had asked the question.

"I think it might take another day of walking. Why?"

Lovino cracked his knuckles and said, "I wanna see what that guy in your head knows about defense magic. I don't like being pushed around."

Yao nodded and Vash voiced his agreement. Matthew looked at each of the people with him. They trusted him and were willing to trust his judgment. Matthew wasn't going to betray that trust.

"When do you guys wanna start walking again?"

-LINEBREAK-

Antonio followed Roderich closely and held Feli's hand in his own. The Ace was tired from walking and was still drained from having used magic to create the checkpoint illusions, but Roderich didn't stop for breaks as often as he should have. Feliciano had been talking to try to motivate himself to keep going, but Antonio tuned him out and thought to himself about how things were going. Roderich's plan was one that needed preparation and planning. It wasn't something that they could just do at the drop of a hat.

The Ace rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and sighed. This was getting them nowhere, and the only one with any fighting skill in the trio was Roderich who wasn't very good at it, according to Feli. Antonio glanced at Feli and wondered how a kid this young could be dragged into this mess. The brunette kept an eye out for people while Feli talked about how he joined Roderich. Antonio suddenly found himself paying attention to Feliciano as he spoke of his older brother and how they ran from their home in Hearts together. Feli seemed to get quiet when he talked about how Lovino got angry at him and how he hated Feli.

"That's a lie, your brother can't hate you," Antonio stated, causing Feli to shake his head and go on about how it had to be true. The Ace looked at Roderich who hadn't said anything the entire time and asked, "Hey Roderich, when are we stopping? I think Feli needs a break."

"You have a point, it is getting late. We can take a small break before we find an adequate place to set up camp."

Antonio smiled at Feliciano and started telling the younger boy how he was able to use his magic to create illusions. "I just focus what I want people to see where I want it. It's kinda simple, but it's hard to explain!" He said with a laugh.

Feliciano smiled and went into a tale of how when he was younger he wanted to learn magic to help people and defeat monsters. While Feli talked, Roderich was sitting tall and drawing in the dirt with a stick. Antonio slid over to see what Roderich was doing and found a bunch of dots and lines.

"What are those?" Antonio asked, pointing to the markings.

"I'm writing music." Roderich said simply, adding another dot to a line. "I wouldn't expect you to know how to do it. However, I enjoy the arts, and I can play over five instruments."

Antonio whistled in amazement. "That's impressive my friend." Roderich stiffened at Antonio's use of the word 'friend' but kept drawing. Feli looked over and grinned before announcing, "I can draw too! I'm really good at it and it's fun!"

Roderich nodded and Antonio beamed at the little Jack. "Impressive! Can you draw something here?" The Ace asked, gesturing to the dirt, and Feli nodded and set to work.

Antonio started thinking to himself while the other two were busy with their work. Going up to Clubs did seem like a wise decision. They could get some training in fighting. Clubs did have some fierce warriors in their military and navy, maybe they could receive training from someone friendly up there.

 **A.N.** I hope you guys liked it! Prussia will be coming back in the next chapter and things will only get more exciting from there! If there's anything you guys wanna see happen in this story, feel free to tell me! I'm open to ideas and suggestions! As always, I adore reviews; they motivate me to write more. Until next time! - Neko


	10. Leyden

**A.N.** Hey people! How are you guys doing? So all last week I got to help around the house with my Dad! We had to do a bunch of stuff with the septic tank, go to Ace Hardware (an amazing place), fix the bathroom faucet, do math, and do some other fun stuff! Has anyone reading this ever heard of "Fawlty Towers"? I love that show way too much! I tried to keep Lovino's swearing to a minimum as I'm not a fan of it, but it's still in there. And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Lovino looked between his companions as they pushed through the trees. Yao's cut had started looking worse than before, and although he wouldn't admit it, Lovino was getting worried. Everyone was tired, and Lovino started to wonder if they were even going in the right direction. It was the day before when they had come across the town Runorow when the group had relaxed a bit.

Matthew had tried talking to the voice again, but there was no reply of any kind. The four teens pushed past the trees of the forest. Lovino narrowed his eyes and wondered if the density of the forest meant anything about where they were going. After a while, Vash announced that they needed to take a rest and find exactly where they were going.

Matthew said quietly, "The Voice said it should be a little further ahead of here."

Vash looked uncertain and shook his head saying, "If that voice has any sense of direction, then it should know that we're lost."

Lovino crossed his arms and leaned against a tree while he listened to Vash and Matthew talk until Yao chimed in.

"What if the rest of the path is guarded by magic? It would make sense," the brunette Jack explained, wincing as his cut shoulder rubbed against a tree the wrong way.

Lovino looked around and felt a small smile form on his lips. Magic, why hadn't he thought of that? Sitting down, Lovino closed his eyes and tried focusing. He had no idea how to accomplish what he was trying to do, but the Ace wasn't going to give up too soon.

The Ace tried to remember how it felt the last time he had unintentionally used magic. He was tired after he had done it and he had a headache. Did that have something to do with it? Lovino dismissed the idea; it was too ridiculous to be true. Lovino tuned out the other three talking, and an idea hit him. When he was little his grandfather had talked about an energy that protected each living being. What if that energy was used as fuel for magic?

Lovino clenched his hands and started to try picturing the aura surrounding him. That was the easy bit, Lovino could feel the energy around him. It was a kind of green color that calmed the Ace, and it felt warm. Lovino let a breath of air out and focused the aura on his eyes and felt the warmth move from the rest of his body up to his eyes.

 _Please work_ , Lovino thought before he opened his eyes. Colors lit up in Lovino's vision and he grinned wildly.

"Hell yes!" Lovino exclaimed, startling the others. Standing up, Lovino grabbed his pack and turned to the other three and said, "Get your stuff. Yao, you're a genius!"

Vash and Matthew exchanged a look of confusion but grabbed their things while Yao asked, "What do you mean? What's going on?"

Lovino tapped the side of his head next to his eye and said, "If the path is hidden by magic, then what if someone uses magic to see the path?"

Realization flashed across the faces of the other three, and Lovino looked around and spotted a streak of light pink on the forest floor that went through the denser part of the trees. Lovino started forward and the others followed closely. Just as quickly as the trees became dense, they had become sparse and spread out.

The pink of the path had started to spread out until Lovino stopped and whispered, "Holy Hearts. No wonder we couldn't find it."

The other three looked past Lovino and gaped. In front of them was a walled-in city with a large gate and watchtowers on each side of the gate. Lovino stared in amazement and stopped channeling the aura to his eyes. The colors immediately went back to normal and Lovino grinned. He had used magic on purpose and had helped the others.

"I'll let you take over," Lovino said to Matthew, and he moved aside so the blond Ace could take the lead. Matthew walked nervously in front of the group and Lovino followed a bit slower than the others did. He was tired—that was expected. He had been channeling the energy to his eyes for a good ten or fifteen minutes. Lovino jumped a bit when Yao placed a hand on the Ace's shoulder and said, "That was amazing. Good job."

Lovino felt his face flush a bit with the compliment and he shrugged and mumbled, "Yeah, whatever."

Matthew stopped in front of the gate and looked at Yao before asking, "What do we do now? There's nobody in the watchtowers."

It was true, there were no guards in the towers above, which meant there wasn't an easy way into the city. Lovino looked at Vash and asked, "Any ideas?"

Vash shook his head saying, "Nothing. Matthew, didn't your voice say something about asking for someone?"

Matthew nodded and turned to the gate and yelled, "I'm looking for the Black Joker Gilbert!"

For a minute nothing happened and Lovino figured that they'd have to find another way in, when the gates slowly opened. Matthew blinked and whispered, "It actually worked," while Vash and Yao took the lead of the group and started walking in. Lovino grabbed Matthew's arm and pushed the blond Ace in front of him so he would keep moving. As soon as Lovino was inside, the gates swung shut much faster than they had opened, and Lovino turned to look at what was inside the city.

The group appeared to be in an entryway of sorts that was open to the sky. Looking to his left, Lovino saw a pair of what had to be guards with spears walking up to them. The taller guard looked the four over and said to Yao, "You have requested to see the Black Joker Gilbert? Is that correct?"

Yao nodded, and the second guard yawned saying, "They're just some kids, do we really hafta take 'em to the elders?"

The first guard nodded and said, "Follow us please."

Lovino glared at the two but followed Yao and the others. The city was beautiful with gardens in one area, shops in another, and homes dispersed among them. _"This isn't a city"_ , Lovino thought as he looked and analyzed the structure of the place. _"It's a country."_ The more Lovino thought about it, the more it made sense. There was no way that this place could be anything less than a small kingdom.

The two guards led the four to a large building where they were told, "You get tested to see if you can receive asylum. If you pass, you can stay. Ff you fail, we boot you out."

Yao and Vash nodded, and Lovino understood what was going on. Looking over at Matthew, Lovino saw he was kind of pale. Or at least paler than usual. "You okay?" Lovino asked quietly, and Matthew looked up, glassy eyed and replied, "Yeah, just kinda tired."

Lovino doubted that but followed Vash and Yao into the building. The four were led down a few twisting hallways until they reached a room where they were shuffled in, and the doors were shut behind them.

"So you are the four children with whom Gilbert has been in contact?"

Lovino turned to the voice and saw a semi circle of people sitting behind a long curved table. Yao stepped forward and said, "Yes, we are."

The old man in the middle narrowed his eyes at Yao and said, "Why have you come here?"

Yao looked at the other three and said to the man, "We were told that we'd be offered safety if we came here. Shelter and provisions."

The man sat back, and an older woman on the end asked, "For what reason are you alone with no adult guardian?"

Yao sighed and recalled the decree from the four kingdoms about the Jacks and Aces. Some of the people in the tall chairs looked at the four with pity, others glared right at the four as if they were lying. More questions were thrown at the four, all of which Yao and Vash answered until Lovino became fed up with it all. Lovino stomped forward and interrupted the elders by snapping, "What in the hell of the Hearts do any of these questions hafta do with anything? They're all—"

Lovino was cut off by Vash pulling him back and started talking quietly to the group.

"We need to stay on their good side," Vash said and Lovino mumbled, "I don't think they have a good side."

"Aiyaa, this is probably our only chance at getting any kind of refuge," Yao whispered and Vash was about to say something when Matthew grimaced in pain and sank to the floor, clutching his head.

Lovino dropped to his knees and started to try and calm the other Ace down. Putting a hand to Matthew's forehead he drew it back quickly and turned to Vash saying, "He's burning up."  
"Why didn't he say something before?" Vash asked and Lovino shrugged. "Hell if I know."

Looking up from Matthew, Lovino saw that Yao was pleading with the elders about letting them wait on the rest of the questions. The elders all shook their heads and Lovino could tell the brunette Jack was getting fed up with their high and mighty attitude, when someone called out from the other side of the room, "I told you I was right! See! Four travelers!"

From behind a pillar, a tall white haired boy walked out and smirked. The red-eyed male strode proudly into the middle of the room where Yao was standing and said, "I got this, you take care of Birdie."

Yao made a face at the name 'Birdie' but turned to help Vash and Lovino with the blond Ace while the strange boy talked to the elders. Lovino sat back as Vash and Yao sprung into "caring big brother mode" and started to try to cool Matthew down. Lovino realized he wasn't doing much of anything so he turned and listened to what the white haired boy was saying to the elders.

"You guys are just ticked off 'cause I knew they'd be coming and you didn't believe me. I mean, you geezers haven't done this to anyone before!" The boy exclaimed. The old man in the middle slammed his fist down, and shook in anger as the white haired boy continued. "Seriously, all they need is someone to vouch for them! Someone awesome should do that, I'll vouch for the four travelers!"

The other elders sighed and nodded, one of them managed to calm the man in the middle down and he said, "If they step out of line once, I mean once, they're out of here. Understood Gilbert?"

Gilbert grinned widely and mock saluted the elder saying, "Gotcha!"

Lovino watched as Gilbert turned to the group and said, "I have rooms ready for you. C'mon, I can help Birdie."

Lovino took Matthew's right arm and slung it over his shoulder while Vash did the same on Matthew's left. Yao grabbed Matthew's pack, and they started to follow Gilbert in silence. It wasn't until they had left the chamber when Lovino asked, "What the hell is a 'Birdie'?"

-LINEBREAK-

Antonio knew this was a bad idea. The three in Antonio's group had made it back into the forest and somehow ended up in a time zone. Roderich had taken control and said that the three were going to go through the zone as it could save time traveling to Clubs. On the bright side, the Ace and two Jacks had made it just past the Clubs border in less than a week, as opposed to the usual travel time of two weeks. On the down side, the three had been attacked by hunters as soon as they exited the time zone.

Antonio sighed and ran a hand through his hair while he listened to Roderich try and teach Feli how to fight. The Ace lost himself in thought as they walked through the trees and only stopped when he bumped into Roderich, who turned and gave the Ace a glare before pointing and saying, "I think someone's ahead of us."

Antonio tensed up and glanced at Feliciano, who seemed perfectly calm under the circumstances. Roderich tapped Antonio's arm and said, "Go ahead and see who it is. Report back to me if you can."

Antonio noted the 'if you can' meant if he came back alive. Shrugging, Antonio started walking quickly and quietly through the trees to find the person Roderich was looking for. As Antonio got closer to the person, he focused the energy around him into a shield in front of him. It was a desperate attempt at protection, but it was the best Antonio could do under the circumstances. Peering past trees and leaves, Antonio saw a person sitting on the ground next to a pack. Stepping forward to get a better look, the Ace stepped on a stick that snapped rather loudly, alerting the person of Antonio's presence.

The girl shot up and whirled around to see Antonio. The first thing that went through Antonio's mind was something along the lines of _"She has six knives and I'm unarmed."_ The second thing was, _"She's kinda scary."_ The Ace raised his hands in surrender and said, "I don't mean any harm, I'm just—"

"What's your mark?" the girl interrupted and Antonio slowly lowered his arms and pulled his shirt up a bit so the girl could see the Diamond marking on his abdomen. The blonde lowered her knives and slid them back into their sheathes before saying, "My name is Natalya. I'm also an Ace. Are you alone?"

Antonio shook his head, "Actually I'm traveling with a couple of others. They sent me ahead to scout out the area."

Natalya scoffed and grabbed her pack saying, "Well you suck at not getting caught. If I wanted, I could've killed you."

"But you didn't," Antonio pointed out and the blonde girl nodded. Antonio assumed that from Natalya packing up she'd be heading out, but instead she followed the brunette back to where Roderich and Feli were waiting. Roderich narrowed his eyes at Natalya and said, "I thought you were going to report back to me."

Antonio looked between Roderich and Natalya before saying with a smile, "I am! I found another Ace! Natalya, this is Feliciano and Roderich. Guys this is Natalya!"

The blonde girl nodded in greeting, and Feli smiled brightly while Roderich looked her over. Natalya pulled her jacket collar back from her neck, exposing her Ace of Clubs mark and said, "I would like to join you three. I have no other alliances and I believe that I would make a worthy addition to your trio."

Antonio looked at Roderich and said bluntly, "She knows how to fight. I think she should be allowed to travel with us."

Roderich crossed his arms and asked, "What exactly can you provide us if you join us?"

"I can fight and I'm willing to teach you how to defend yourselves," the blonde said, grabbing one of her knives and twirling it around. Roderich bit his lip and nodded saying, "That seems fair. I am experienced in fencing so I have some training."

Natalya nodded and looked around her shoulder and said, "We need to get moving. This area has been crawling with hunters for days, and I don't wanna stick around for too long."

Antonio nodded in agreement and grabbed Feliciano's hand as they started walking. Natalya took the lead, which seemed to annoy Roderich who was second in line. Antonio had dropped back to walk at the end of the group so he could keep the group together. Glancing around, Antonio wondered how Natalya was going to train them to fight. Roderich was a stuck up former noble, Feli was a cowardly kid who wanted to surrender, and Antonio was a farmer.

-LINEBREAK-

Gilbert laughed at another one of his own jokes as the four travelers entered his home. The place was big with enough rooms for each of them. Vash and Lovino lowered Matthew onto the floor and Yao started checking him while Gilbert leaned against a wall and watched.

"He's still burning up, I don't know what to do," Yao said, panicked, and Lovino let a few curses in the old Hearts language slip out. Vash turned to Gilbert and said, "You knew we were coming. You were the one Matthew's been talking to aren't you?"

Gilbert held his arms out and said, "The awesome me can tell no lies. Yes, I am the one who contacted you through Birdie, and I am the one who in a way unlocked his magic. As for his fever, I think I can help with that too."

Gilbert motioned for Vash to follow him and the blond Jack did so. Gilbert started talking again as he led the archer into a room filled with bottles of stuff. "Actually, my communicating with Matthew opened his mind so he can unlock and use his power in a greater way."

Vash held his hands up and interjected, "What do you mean 'power'? all I know is that after Matthew started getting headaches and hearing from you, Lovino started having similar symptoms. Even Yao had a moment where this 'power' benefitted him. What is it exactly?"

Gilbert sighed heavily and ran a hand through his white hair. Grabbing a bottle of brownish leaves and a bottle of what appeared to be weeds from a garden, Gilbert said, "I'll explain it to all of you so I don't hafta do it more than once. But you haven't had a reaction right?"

Vash shook his head and Gilbert nodded, "That's normal. C'mon we gotta get these to Birdie."

After making their way back to the others, Gilbert started unscrewing the top off the bottle of leaves and handed it to Yao saying, "Get two of those in his mouth. Only two!"

Thrusting the bottle of weeds at Lovino, Gilbert said, "Each of you take one of those and give one to Birdie after all of you took one."

Lovino squinted at the weeds and asked, "I'm gonna say this one more time. What the heck is a 'Birdie'?"

Gilbert shrugged and replied, "Well, I didn't know what his name was when I was talking via thoughts, so I gave him the name Birdie!"

Lovino looked like he was going to say something but closed his mouth and popped the cork out of the bottle and sniffed the contents. The Ace drew back coughing and said, "This stuff is nasty! What is it?"

Yao took the bottle from Lovino, having already given Matthew the leaves, and sniffed it. Realization lit up Yao's face as he exclaimed, "This is larksweed!"

Lovino was still gagging, so Vash asked in place of Lovino, "What's that?"

Gilbert interrupted as Yao took a piece from the bottle, "It's a plant that has healing properties and enhances magical powers. Unfortunately it takes an hour or two to kick in, but that should be more than enough time to explain everything I know to you guys!"

Yao sat back and watched as Vash pushed the weed into Matthew's mouth. Lovino grumbled while Vash and Yao sat and looked at Gilbert expectantly. The albino cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Shall I start? Okay, where should I begin?"

"This place," Vash said, waving his hands around, "This city. What is it?"

Lovino scoffed and snapped, "It's not a city moron, it's a kingdom. Just like Hearts, Spades, and all. Right?"

Gilbert grinned and nodded, "Lovi has it right! This is the Joker Kingdom! Also good job on finding it. I'll ask about that later, but for now I should explain what this place is, right? The Joker Kingdom used to be a normal kingdom on the edge of Hearts and Diamonds, but when the first war of the kingdoms broke out, the founders wanted to find a way to get away from the fighting. I think that we should've participated in the war, but my opinion never counts. Anyway, the leaders had all this magic power in reserve, so they channeled it into the land of Jokers and made it so every few weeks Jokers will literally uproot itself and move to a new location."

"Wait, wait, what? Are you saying that the kingdom flies around changing its geographical location?" Vash asked, curiosity and disbelief written on his face.

Gilbert nodded and continued, "Yeah. Weird, but they had tons of reserve power so they camouflaged the uprooted flying kingdom to look like a storm or something. Anyways, it's protected by magic, so only a few people could get access."

Gilbert turned to Lovino and commented, "I've never actually heard of people being able to control their power in one try. That's pretty awesome!"

Lovino turned red and started mumbling, embarrassed about having attention drawn to him. Gilbert smirked and continued, "You know how the magic thing works, but the others don't so I'll explain. Each person has an energy, an aura, around them that they can control. It's different for each person, but there are some people who can use their power in different ways. For example, my specialty is tracking, transporting, and communicating. I can channel my aura into whatever I'm using, so I can speak with someone, or send them something."

Lovino stopped Gilbert's train of thought by saying, "Why can't I control it fully? Every so often my magic is activated and I can't stop it. Not to mention, Matthew and I keep getting headaches whenever things like that happen."

Gilbert sighed and answered, "The reason you can't control it is because you weren't fully aware of how the energy was being used. As for the headaches, they come if you're afraid of your power. It sounds like a pain, but unless you can fully trust yourself or set a goal so you won't be scared of what you can do, the headaches won't go away. Sometimes I get nosebleeds from overuse of my magic, but that's just me."

A groan from Matthew alerted the group to the forgotten member of their party. Vash and Yao started looking the Ace over and saw he was slightly better than when they had arrived. Gilbert grinned and stood up saying, "I'll tell ya the rest later. The ranks are important to magic use too, but I'll go into detail when Mattie's awake. Your rooms are down the first hall and on the right.

With that, Gilbert turned and walked down the hallway to his room and grinned to himself. This was getting better and better by the minute.

 **A.N.** Late update I know, but at least I updated! I hope you guys liked it! Natalya is finally in it, and she'll be in the next chapter too! If you guys have any ideas, suggestions, or recommendations for this story, feel free to review them or PM me! Please please please review! Until next time - Ryuu


	11. Spoons

**A.N.** I AM ALIVE! I'm so sorry for not updating, but my summer was insanely busy and awesome! My mom and I went to see Got7 in Atlanta, and when we got back, my dad took my brother and me to Pittsburgh for a week. THEN I reunited with one of my bestest friends in the world, and I hit a writer's block. Anyway, special thanks to **Poisonlilie** , **Hshh** , and **YJV** for reviewing! I hope yuns enjoy this chapter! And now, ONWARDS!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Gilbert grinned at the four travelers. It had been a day since they had arrived, and they were still wary of the Joker, but that was understandable. Gilbert stood on one end of the bedroom they were in, while Yao and Vash sat on the floor, Matthew was sitting up in his bed, and Lovino was leaning against a wall. Gilbert put his hands behind his head and said, "You guys probably want more of an explanation on magic, don't you?"

The four nodded, and Gilbert smiled as he started to explain, "Let's make this as simple as possible okay? First of all, I'm not an expert in this, so I can't teach you anything I don't know. Alright, magic. It's a pretty hard thing to explain, but I'm gonna try."

"Get on with it," Lovino snapped, and Vash shot the brunette a glare. Gilbert snickered and continued, "Magic itself is something everyone can create of their own will. Lovino figured this out. Each person has an aura around them, an energy that they can use to protect themselves or use for a different purpose. An example of that is Lovino."

All eyes turned to the short tempered Ace, who turned red at all the attention. Gilbert smiled reassuringly and said, "He can focus his aura to his eyes and enhance his vision. There are other ways of doing that. You could probably focus your power on your ears, you can enhance your hearing. I'll give you an example of my power if you want."

The four shrugged and turned to Gilbert who said, "Okay! Lovi can you turn on your eyes? I want you to see what I'm doing."

"Don't call me that!" Lovino snapped, but closed his eyes and seemed to relax for a few seconds before he reopened them. As Gilbert expected, the color of Lovino's eyes had changed slightly from a brownish to a forest green. Gilbert grinned, grabbed a few darts off the board in the room, and backed up. Making sure everyone was watching, Gilbert channeled his aura into the dart and threw it at the board, hitting it in the center.

Turning, Gilbert saw Lovino's expression of amazement. The brunette Ace stopped channeling the magic to his eyes as they turned back to the original brown color, and Gilbert grinned. Crossing his arms over his chest the Joker asked, "Can you explain to them what you saw?"

Lovino turned to the other three and started talking, "He's pushing his aura into the dart, and from there he can control where the dart goes. Am I right?"

Gilbert nodded and said, "There isn't just aura magic though. There are verbal spells that contain much more power to them, but I don't know how to use them!" the albino rubbed the back of his head as he laughed, and the others exchanged glances.

Yao sat up straighter and asked, "Didn't you say the ranks had something to do with magic too? What's that about?"

Gilbert sighed and ran a hand through his hair saying, "This is a bit harder to explain, but I'll try. It's said that the higher ranks have a higher probability for using magic. You guys are Aces and Jacks, so you're pretty high on the list, making it relatively easy for you to use your power. Even some Nines and Tens can activate their auras and use use spells to a small degree. However the ability to unlock that power seems to skip the King and Queen ranks for some reason and is almost nonexistent in the lower ranks of Twos and Threes."

"Hold up," Vash said interrupting. "You said 'almost'. Does that mean there's at least one Two who can use magic?"

Gilbert glanced at the ground and nodded before continuing, "Yeah, but there's usually only one every few decades or so. Then there's the Jokers. We're different from the rest of the kingdoms in more ways than one. We don't have the ability to use magic like you do. We're gifted with only two powers that must be split between two Jokers. Those powers are seeing the future and the past. Traditionally one of the Black Jokers, like me, is given the power of the past. I was given that ability, so I can see the past and what went on from centuries ago to just a few days ago."

Gilbert paused there and wondered if he should tell them that he could also see the future. The white haired male had no idea how he had received the ability of seeing the future, he was just able to. Before he could make a decision Matthew spoke up asking, "You said Jokers can't use magic like we do, but you just did. How does that work?"

Gilbert groaned and said, "Ugh, hard questions. Like I said, Joker kingdom is different. They allow a transfer of sorts."

"A transfer?" Vash asked with a questioning look on his face. Gilbert nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'm originally from Hearts, but I was given the chance to become a Joker so I took it. There are rules though, there's no going back to your old rank. So I can't just up and go back to being a citizen of Hearts."

The three seemed to understand, as they didn't push the issue any further. Looking up, Yao asked, "Is there anyone you know who can teach us magic? It would be better if we knew how to harness and control what we're able to do."

Gilbert nodded and said, "I'll try finding someone for ya, but in the meantime try working on fighting with weapons. I can tell you guys aren't exactly warriors."

The four nodded in agreement and Gilbert left Matthew's room to go to his own. Finding someone to teach magic wasn't going to be the hard part for Gilbert. The hard part was going to be for Yao, Matthew, Vash, and Lovino. They'd have to find where the person was and convince them they were worth teaching. Entering his room, Gilbert grabbed a handful of darts and chucked a few of at the dartboard for fun, before turning to the kingdoms maps that hung on his wall.

As he threw the magic guided dart, Gilbert saw where it had hit. Clubs kingdom. Gilbert threw a few more darts just in case the first one was a fluke, but they all stuck on one spot. Northeast Clubs was where the four would find someone to teach them how to harness their powers. Sighing, Gilbert's hand rubbed over his black Joker mark. It was haphazardly placed so the original Hearts mark was somewhat visible, but Gilbert didn't care.

Grabbing one last dart from the board Gilbert threw it at the map again only for it to hit the kingdom of Spades. The Joker realized what that meant. The choosing of the new Kings and Queens had started, and that could be dangerous.

-LINEBREAK-

Antonio stood awkwardly in the clearing as Natalya walked around him, Feliciano, and Roderich. Natalya had instructed the three to leave whatever weapons they had with their things. The blonde girl had her arms crossed as she paced around, observing the boys' postures. Stopping in front of them, she shot forward at Feli who crossed his arms in front of his face. Natalya stopped before she hit Feliciano and grabbed his arms gently, saying, "Don't block like that. If I hit you hard enough, it would injure you more than protect you."

Feliciano nodded and Natalya gave him a small smile before looking at Roderich and Antonio. Natalya let her face become emotionless again as she lunged at Roderich. The brunette reacted by backing up and taking a fighting stance. Natalya didn't stop moving and slammed her fist into Roderich's shoulder, causing him to cry out.

"Go get your long dagger," Natalya instructed, and Roderich left to go get the weapon from the edge of the clearing. Natalya glanced at Antonio and said, "You wanna say something."

"Ah yes," Antonio laughed nervously as he asked, "What are you doing exactly?"

Natalya twirled a strand of her hair around her finger as she said, "I'm getting an idea of what you guys are good at. Personally, I'm good at hand to hand combat and anything with knives. Feliciano isn't a fighter, so maybe if we can unlock his magic he can learn healing magic."

Antonio held up a hand and asked, "How do you "unlock" magic? I've been able to do it for a while now."

Natalya nodded and replied, "Sometimes a person can unlock it instinctively, accidentally, or purposefully. Other times it takes a traumatizing event to awaken the person's powers."

Antonio was about to ask on the subject more, when Roderich returned with his blade in the sheath. Natalya took up her fighting position and lunged at Roderich, who tried to keep the Ace away from him. Natalya held up her hand and said, "You need a new weapon."

Roderich narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why? I think this one is perfectly—"

"It sucks," Natalya said, "and your fighting style is terrible. The fencing you studied wasn't for actual combat, was it?"

Roderich shook his head as Natalya continued, "I think a sword would be better than your dagger. You're gonna hafta learn how to properly hurt someone with a blade."

Roderich seemed to understand and didn't say anything else on the matter as Natalya turned her attention to Antonio. The Club stood and dusted her pants off before saying to the Diamond, "Up. It's your turn."

Antonio stood and watched as Natalya took her stance again. The blonde didn't lunge at him the same way she did with Feliciano and Antonio, but instead dodged to the side, causing Antonio to turn and throw himself off balance. The brunette righted himself just as Natalya shot at him, ready to slam her fist in Antonio's face. The Ace had no idea what happened next. Somehow he brought his left arm up to block Natalya's punch, but the blonde shifted her weight and brought up her knee, ramming it into Antonio's gut. The brunette grimaced and grabbed Natalya's arm and twisting it behind her back. The Clubs girl just relaxed in Antonio's grip and twisted her arm around in a way that shouldn't have been possible, and swung her leg at the boy.

Antonio ducked and shot his leg out, tripping Natalya and causing her to slip on the leaves that covered the forest floor. As the Ace was about to try and stand, Natalya held her hand up and said, "Enough. That was impressive."

Antonio and Natalya stood and dusted themselves off as the blonde said, "You're not bad at close combat, but I think having a weapon would allow for you to keep enemies away from you so you don't have to get too close." The girl flicked her wrist and Antonio saw light glint across the blade of a dagger. "After all, your enemy could be armed."

Antonio nodded just as Feli called out, "Guys! I think I hear something!"

"Let's get moving," Antonio said, striding forward to grab his pack from the ground. While he had his back turned, Antonio missed the sour look Roderich shot at him. When the four started walking, Antonio thought about what Natalya had said about magic. If he had awakened it instinctively at a young age, then he should be able to gain control over it the more he used it.

-LINEBREAK-

Vash glanced around and sighed. Gilbert's house was huge. The place appeared to be much bigger inside than it did outside. Vash glanced at Lovino who had his arms crossed and was glaring at the floor. Yao had gone to explore the house so he could get a layout of the building and what each room contained. Matthew had fallen asleep again, after being checked on by Gilbert. Vash sighed in boredom as silence passed through the room. It was Lovino who broke the silence by asking, "You have a sister, right?"

Vash nodded and said, "Her name's Lili. Well it's actually Lillian, but she likes Lili better. She says it sounds sweeter."

Lovino nodded and said, "You're a pretty great brother."

Vash scoffed and leaned against the wall as he said, "I left her behind with my parents. I'm a horrible brother."

Lovino crossed the room and sat next to Vash and asked, "What's wrong with your parents?"

Vash felt his chest tighten as he explained, "They specialize in clothing and textiles. They were great at their trade, always getting the better end of the deal, but they always wanted more. When I was born and they saw I was a Jack, they were thrilled. After Lili was born–she's a Queen–they couldn't stop thinking about how we'd have a chance to become the rulers of Diamonds."

Lovino nodded and turned his dagger around in his hands, as Vash kept talking. "I insisted on being a trader like them when I grew up. That displeased them but they didn't care. Lili was the one who'd get them what they wanted. Lili is kind to a fault. She'd lie in a heartbeat if it meant saving someone's life, even a criminal. She's much easier to manipulate than I am, and that's what our parents wanted. After the decree, they said that I was their only son, and that they didn't care about my rank. Later I found documents that said stuff about Diamonds paying people for turning in Jacks and Aces."

"And that's when you ran," Lovino mumbled, rubbing his thumb over the guard of his blade. Vash nodded and uttered, "I just left my only sister there."

There was a pregnant pause before Lovino said, "You did what you needed to do. If you took her with you, she probably wouldn't have made it."

Vash nodded and said, "Thanks for listening. I don't know why I told you all that."

Lovino shrugged and replied, "Sometimes you just need to let someone know what's going on. It's better than keeping to yourself and going crazy."

Vash stood and stretched before saying, "I'm gonna go find Yao and see how he's doing. Stay with Matthew okay?"

"What didja think I was gonna do?" Lovino asked harshly, but repositioned himself so he was closer to the blond Ace.

Vash looked around the hallway and started walking around. Somehow, the Jack ended up in a library of sorts where the walls were filled with books on every subject. Grabbing one, Vash flipped it open and stared at the circular characters on the page before putting it back. The blond had a hard enough time reading in his own language, let alone another one.

"So you found this, huh?" Vash turned to see Gilbert leaning against the doorframe smirking. The Joker walked in and asked, "You looking for Yao? He's on the second floor, looking at maps of the kingdoms."

Vash nodded and asked, "Did you find someone who would teach us magic?"

Gilbert ran a hand through his hair and said, "Yeah I did! The person's in Clubs, but that's no problem. Joker kingdom should be uprooting in a day and moving to Clubs for a bit. We'll land pretty close to where your teacher is!"

Vash nodded and said, "Thank you for all you've done."

Gilbert laughed and turned away saying, "Let's go! I'm pretty sure foreign books don't interest you!"

-LINEBREAK-

The blonde woman looked out the window of her house and smiled as she leaned on the windowsill. The time was coming when she'd live out her part of the story that was about to unfold. Standing up, the woman rubbed her sore back and turned to look over her farmhouse kitchen.

A shock went through the blonde and she cried out, grabbing the table for support until the pain subsided. Breathing shakily, the woman rubbed her back and slid into a chair. The woman inhaled and started to calm herself.

"They're coming," the woman said to herself cheerfully. "I wonder what they'll be like."

 **A.N.** I hope you guys liked this chapter! QUESTION TIME: Who is the woman? Also I have an announcement. I'm going to start rewriting the first few chapters so they're longer and not just the same thing over and over again. One more thing, in chapter nine, I said I'd try to finish this story up by the end of September…yeah that's not happening any time soon. I suddenly was barraged by amazing ideas that I need to get in this, and to do so I'm gonna need some time to get it right. Until next time - Ryuu


	12. Story Announcement

**A.N.** I promised myself when I started writing that I'd never put an author's note in place of an actual chapter…oh well. Hey peoples, ((if anyone still reads this)) I'm here to offer my deepest apologies and to give a few quick announcements.

Numero uno: I'm going to start going through and rewriting this story, because I really do love this AU and I wanna complete this. I'm rewriting it because after multiple classes, I've been able to develop a different writing technique that I really like and I think it'll make the story flow better.

Numero dos: I ran across an entire notebook that was filled with different ideas, theories, and suggestions for this story and I had no way of controlling myself when I started looking through them.

Numero tres: I've been able to actually get my schedule under control ((to a degree)), and I have time, motivation, and inspiration to write for this story until it's finally completed.

With that, I'm so sorry for not updating when I say I will and I hope you'll forgive me. Because I absolutely hate to just upload an author's note, here's a very small preview of the first chapter rewritten.

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own it, haven't owned it, and never will own Hetalia.**

Yao couldn't feel his legs anymore. He didn't know how long he'd been running, but he felt as if his legs were going to give out underneath him at any second. His lungs burned for air as he crashed through the forest, rain pelting his body and making him shiver. Adrenaline was the only thing that kept the brunet boy going, otherwise he'd have given up already.

Another gust of wind sent a wave of icy rain into Yao's face, the droplets feeling like tiny insect stings against his skin. The forest floor was muddy, making it easy to slip, but Yao had somehow managed not to fall. A loud crack of lightning followed by a harsh thundering caused Yao to falter and lose his footing. Sliding down an incline, the brunette hissed before colliding with a tall oak tree.

Breathing heavily, the brown eyed boy felt his heart beating through his chest, but he couldn't summon the energy to move yet. Waiting for a moment, Yao listened to try and determine if the soldiers were still following him. The teen stayed still against the base of the oak for longer than he would've liked, but there was no sound of men in heavy armor anywhere around him. Breathing in, Yao shivered as another blast of rain and wind battered his body.

Grabbing his shoulders for comfort, Yao tried to think of anything that could distract himself from this painful and unjust reality. Gripping his left shoulder tightly, Yao muttered to himself incoherently, "It isn't right. Why me? Why us? It isn't right."

Another gust of wind flew through the trees, but it didn't carry any rain with it. glancing up from the ground, Yao pushed his wet hair back from his face before a blast of rain snapped him back to reality. Forcing himself to his feet, the teen leaned against the oak and tried to ignore the ache that was developing in his legs. Looking around, Yao realized just how alone he really was.

His family thought him to be dead, he was being hunted by soldiers and possibly anyone who thought they could make a penny off him, and he had nowhere to go and no one to trust. A small flare of anger developed in the back of Yao's mind, making his thoughts cloudy and his actions stronger. Pushing himself off the oak, Yao pushed himself through the forest again, using the anger he bore from the situation to carry him as far as he could run.

 **A.N.** That's all for now, but if I can get my other assignments done I can focus more attention on this! I'll take this chapter down as soon as I'm able to get the rewritten chapters ready for upload. Again, I'm so sorry for the long wait. Until next time - NekoRyuuKo


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